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University  of  Waterloo 


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ONE  OF  THE  JESUITS/ 


ALEXIS  CLERC 


SAILOR  m\)  MARTYJi 


BY 


Kev.  Father  CHARLES ^)anIEL,  S.J. 


wni  A  i-jtEFACE  m  vm  im.  thoias  s.  i-BHsm,  v.a 

t  ^ 

,/yc6  _  _^ 

/  <-  New  York  : 

D-  &  J.  SADLIER  &  CO.,  PUBLISnEUS, 

31  Barclay  Street 
MONTREAL:  2^5  NOTRE  D.^E  STREET. 

1880. 


PROPERTY  OF  THE  LIBR.ARV 

IIMI\/I»C(TV     .'AT     M  /  4  ^  '    I.M    i-A /"V 


Copyright  1880,  by 
p.  A  J.  8ADLIEB  &,  Ca 


THIS    TRANSLATION    IS    DEDICATED 
TO  TllS  MKMOIIV  OP 

FATHER  ANDREW  FRANCIS  MONROE.  S.J. 

Grand-nephew  of  President  Monroe,  Officer  v;  the  American 
Navy,  and  a  Convert  to  the  Catholic  Faith. 

Ue  entered  the  Society  of  Jesus  in  Rome,  made  his  novitiate  in  France, 
was  ordained  Priest  in  Ci>.nada,  and,  after  spending  liis  religious  life  liliu 
his  friend  Father  Clerc,  chielly  In  ttie  hiii^blo'daties  of  a  professor, 

©ica  at  St.  JFiaiicis  Xn\)ifv's  ©ollcflc,  "Mflu  ¥ovft, 

Augusts,  1871, 
Aged  Forty-seven  Years. 

A  man  of  "  a  large  humanity  "  (to  use  his  own  phrase),  who  made  friends 
everywhere,  and  no  enemies  notwithstanding  his  sailor-liive  bluntncs?, 
wonderfully  upright  and  honorable,  childlike  in  faith,  simple  in  piety, 
a  worthy  priest  and  an  exemplary  religious,  he  is  still  regretted  by 
those  whose  privilege  it  was  to  know  and  appreciate  him. 

|Hai)  l)(s  soul  vest  ill  pcacc» 


WITH  PERMISSION  OP  THE  AUTHOR 


TRANSLA7ED  FROM  THE  SECOND  PARTS  EDITION 


By  M.  E,  C.  D. 


COJNTEKTS. 


CHAPTER  f. 

Alexis  Clcrc  before  his  Tvvenf- -seventh  Ycar-IIis  En ''""'• 
trance  in  the  Navy  and  his  Fir«t  Cruise. . . ... .     .'    13 

CHAPTER  ir. 

Sojourn  in  France-AnoUier  Cruise-Conversion 49 

CilAPTER  III. 

Alexis' Progress  in  the  Christian  Life-Service  on  Shore 
— Lorient,  Indret,  Brest. 

CHAPTER  IV. 
Alexis  Clerc  durin -  the  Events  of  1848 jg. 

CHAPTER  V. 
Experiments  in  Epistolary  Controversy \  ^^^ 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Preludes  of  Vocation-Preparations  for  another  Voyage.  184 

CHAPTER  YU 

' (tiy 


6  Contents^ 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

PAOE. 

A  Conversion  on  board  the  Caaaini 257 

ciiapt1':r  IX. 

Shangliai  and  the  Jesuit  Mission 275 

CHAPTER  X. 
Alexis  Clcrc  in  the  Society  of  Jesus — Saint- Aclicul 019 

CHAPTER  XI. 
Vaugirard— The  School  Sainte  Genevieve— Laval 350 

CHAPTER  XII. 
Father  Clerc  and  his  Pupils 380 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
Father  Clerc  and  his  old  Comrades 410 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Father  Clerc  at  Saint  Vincent  do  Laon  and  in  the  Am- 
bulance of  Vaugirard— His  Last  Vows  429 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Father  Clerc  Prisoner  and  Victim  for  Love  of  Jesus 
Christ— Mazas— La  Roquette 450 


rREFACE. 


It  is  with  great  pleasure  that  wc  recomincnd  to  tho 
Christian  public  this  translation  of  Father  Daniel's  Life 
of  Alexis  Clcrc.  There  is  much  in  this  Life  which 
siHjaks  to  tho  great  needs  of  our  day.  The  bright  ex- 
ample of  self-denial  and  heroic  virtue  cannot  fail  to 
move  many  hearts  whose  aspirations  arc  for  eternity. 
The  prevailing  disposition  of  the  age  is  altogether  to 
ignore  God,  as  if  his  law  and  v.ill  had  nothing  to  do 
with  the  end  of  human  life  or  tho  happiness  of  man- 
kind. He  is  driven  from  society,  from  education,  from 
science,  and  from  the  counterfeit  which  the  world  dig- 
nifies by  the  name  of  religion.  Self  is  made  the  end  in 
the  way  of  pleasure,  avarice,  or  ambition.  Men  would 
live  as  long  as  they  may,  and  then  sink  into  the  grave 
without  hope  of  the  future,  or  with  the  d(;nial  of  im-  , 
mortality.  And  even  where  there  is  a  certain  belief  in 
God,  what  prospect  for  happiness  has  the  victim  of  iias- 
fion  who  has  never  known  the  discipline  of  obedience  ? 
Heaven  is  nothing  to  those  who  have  jdaced  their  high- 
est happiness  in  self-gratification.  We  have  seen  tho 
fruits  of  unbridled  passion  in  the  hatred  of  God  and  of 
all  who  professed  obedience  to  his  law.    The  ever-liv- 


8 


Preface, 


■*•* 


I  1 


ing  C  .irch  of  Christ  goes  quietly  on  amid  all  the  tu- 
mults or  tbo  world  and  tho  conflicts  of  evil.  She  alono 
si)ealis  tho  words  of  truth ;  she  alono  can  heal  tho 
wounds  of  infidelity  or  sin.  Ilcr  life  is  above  the  vio- 
lence of  her  enemies,  and  in  this  divine  life  she  contin- 
ues  the  mission  of  her  great  Founder,  giving  good  for 
evil,  and  gathering  in  tho  waste  places  of  earth  a  har- 
vest for  eternity.  Nothing  really  lives  that  she  does 
not  touch,  and  all  she  touches  is  radiant  of  immortality. 
Dark  was  tho  hour  when  the  spirits  of  evil  broke  loose, 
and  malignant  hatred  of  God  held  sway.  The  ago  of 
the  martyrs  returned,  and  patience,  gentleness,  pity, 
and  fidelity  unto  death  were  tho  only  answer  to  insati- 
ate m'alice  and  demoniac  rage.  '•'  Tho  Good  Shepherd 
gave  his  life  for  tho  sheep";  so  in  his  footsteps  ever 
arise  the  children  of  his  love  to  bear  his  cross  and  glad- 
ly die  at  its  foot.  Tho  sad  days  of  the  Commune  were 
days  of  triumph  for  the  Church,  as  the  blood  of  martyrs 
is  the  glory  of  her  crown. 

Tho  reader  of  this  Life  will  learn  these  and  many 
truths  which  may  quicken  in  his  heart  the  love  of  faith 
and  all  its  supernatural  fruits.  Without  faith  life  is 
not  worth  living,  and  even  in  this  material  age  sanctity 
is  within  our  reach,  and  tho  Mother  of  saints  has  chil- 
dren of  whom  she  need  not  bo  ashamed.  The  strife  of 
tho  Commune  is  not  over,  and  the  red  hand  of  infideli- 
ty is  not  yet  stayed.  Even  in  our  own  beloved  country 
may  come  tho  hour  when  law  and  order  shall  sink  be- 
neath tho  violence  of  unbelief,  when  hatred  of  God 
shall  muko  victi.us  of  the  innocent  and  true,    laihappy 


Preface. 


Franco  lias  yet  to  atoue  for  many  sins,  and  while  sho 
suffers,  the  blood  of  licr  martyrs  i^eads  to  the  Sacred 
Heart  for  mercy. 

Father  Alexis  Clerc  was  only  one  of  many  chosen 
souls  whom  the  illustrious  Society  of  Jesus  has  given  to 
the  Avorld.    IIo  has  spoken  by  words  of  faith,  mercy, 
aud  courage,  by  deeds  of  self-denial  and  i)atience,  by  a 
life  given  for  the  salvation  of  souls,  and  by  the  death 
of  a  martyr  for  Christ.     Witli  the  sainted  Olivaint  and 
his  companions  before  the  throne  of  the  Precious  Blood 
lie  will  intercede  for  his  brethren,  for  Franco  ho  loved 
so  v.'cll,  and  for  us  who  will  seek  by  his  example  to  be 
true  to  God  and  to  walk  in  the  blessed  and  narrow 
[way  of  faith.    It  is  strange  that  the  martyrs  of  the 
Commune  arc  so  little  known,  and  that  the  story  of 
their  death  has  produced  so  little  visible  fruit.    Catlio- 
llics  hardly  realize  how  much  they  owe  to  these  confos- 
isors  of  the  faith,  while  many  Protestants  who  could  not 
applaud  the  violence  of  persecution  are  perhaps  uncon- 
Isciously  encouraging  principles  which  lead  to  the  de- 
nial of  authority,  and  therefore  to  the  reign  of  infl- 
[delity. 

The  "Chamber  of  the  Martyrs''  at  Paris,  with  the 

[relics  of  their  sufferings  and  death,  is  a  scene  which 

[speaks  louder  than  any  words,  and  sets  in  open  light 

[the  two  extremes  of  mortal  conflict,  the  charity  divino 

rhich  bleeds  unto  death,  and  the  rage  of  baffled  but 

5till  malignant  passion. 

May  God  increase  our  faith  and  give  us  grace,  that, 
["having  so  great  a  cloud  of  witnesses;  wo  may  lay 


10 


Preface, 


aside  every  weight  and  sin  which  surrounds  us,  and  run 
with  patience  to  the  fight  proposed  to  us,  looking  unto 
Jesus." 

T.  S.  P. 

CORPca  CnsiSTi,  1379, 


ALEXIS  CLERO 

SAILOR, 
JESUIT  AND  HOSTAGE  OF  THE  COMMUNE; 

SHOT  AT  LA  liOQUETTE,  JMrS4,  1871. 


i 


)  ,1 


ill! 


ALEXIS  CLEKO, 


CHAPTER  I. 

Ialf-xts   ci-erc    before  nis    twenty-seventh    year — nis 

ENTRANCE  IN  THE  NAVY  AND  HIS  FIRST  CRUISE. 

Alexis  Clekc  was  born  in  Paris  on  the  12th  of 
iDcccmber,  1S19,  in  the  parish  of  Saint  Germain 
rAuxerrois  ;  the  next  day  he  was  baptized  in  tlie 
[parish  church. 

lie  was  in  every  respect  a  true  child  of  Paris, 
[belonging  to  that  middle  class  whose  role  was  great 
)ven  then,  but  whose  ambition  was  greater  still, 
md  whose  political  importance  attained  its  apogee 
mder  the  monarchy  of  July.  His  education,  en- 
trusted to  the  university  at  an  early  age,  was  all 
that  it  could  be  under  the  rcfjimc  of  the  monopoly — 
leither  worse  nor  better  than  that  of  multitudes  of 
children  of  the  Parisian  bourgeoisie,  in  whose 
^oung  souls  their  professors  daily  inculcated  in- 
lifference  and  doubt,  who  saw  the  priest  only  at 

13 


■i::t 


14  -  Alexis  Clcrc 


I 

"if 


:•<• 


long  intervals,  and  considered  him  as  a  functionary 
to  bo  employed  in  but  two  or  three  circumstances 
of  life,  and  after  death. 

Yet  withal  Alexis  had  for  mother  a  fervent  Chris- 
tian, a  lady  belonging  to  an  old  Lyonnaise  family 
in  which  piety  was  hereditary.  "A  saiut  humble 
and  meek" — such  is  his  own  testimony  of  his  ■% 
mother  at  whose  knees  he  was  taught  to  know 
Jesus  Christ,  and  was  thus  initiated  into  the  life 
of  the  soul.  He  lost  this  mother  when  ho  was 
only  thirteen  years  of  age.  How  long  did  he  con- 
tinue faithful  to  her  example  and  lessons  ?  Some 
months,  a  year  perhaps  at  the  most ;  then  he  fell 
into  the  common  current  and  became  a  stranger  to 
ji}|  all  religious  practices.     Thirteen  years  were  passed 

in  forgetfulness  of  God,  thirteen  years  which  oftcr- 
wards  he  bitterly  regretted. 

He  had  not  been  born  to  be  an  infidel ;  he  even 
had  strong  religious  inclinations.     "  When  I  was 
still  a  very  little  boy  at  school,"  in  later  years  ho 
,.,  told  a  friend,  "I  heard  read  from  a  large  book 

'|;l  bound  in  calf-skin  the  wonderful  'Lives  of  the 

\  Saints.'    They  all  seemed  so  beautiful  to  me  that   |( 

I  had  a  great  desire  to  imitate  them,  and  assured- 
ly, to  be  frank,  my  wish  to  please  God  and  to  do 
great  things  for  him  was  then  not  less  real  nor  less 
reasonable  than  were  the  aspirations  of  the  saints." 
?  How  came  it  to  pass  that  this  holy  ardor  was  ex- 
tinguished ?  Alas  I  it  is  only  too  easily  explained, 
and  his  history  is  that  of  thousands,  of  millions  of 
children,  the  victims  of  an  odious  monopoly. 
"  The  poison  of  the  college,"  he  adds,  "  soon  got 


before  Jiis  Twenty-seventh  Year, 


15 


even 
i  was 
ars  he 
book 
of  the 
c  that 
surecl- 
to  do 
)r  less 
lints." 
ras  ex- 
ained, 

Ions  of 
opoly 
1 


n  got 


the  better,  and  retained  it  for  a  long  time,  of  my 
artlessness  and  my  desire  of  sanctity."  The  way 
and  means  of  this  may  be  readily  understood. 
Where  was  the  pupil  frequenting  the  university 
establishments,  such  as  they  were  at  that  time — I 
do  not  enquire  what  they  are  now,  and  I  suppose 
them  greatly  Improved — where,  I  ask,  was  the 
pupil  who  would  not  have  been  abused  by  his 
fellow-pupils,  and  perhaps  by  his  masters,  if  he 
had  made  profession  of  imitating  ever  so  slightly  a 
St.  Stanislas  or  a  Berchmans,  or  even  of  going  to 
confession  and  of  attending  church  ?  The  masters 
might  not  have  concurred  in  such  abuse  officially  ; 
for,  however  atheistic  the  law  was,  the  teaching 
state  could  not  very  well  proclaim  itself  as  such. 
But  the  professors,  the  heads  of  public  instruction, 
considered  it  no  fault  to  attack  in  their  lectures  or 
in  their  books  the  Catholic  Church,  the  clergy,  the 
whole  French  episcopate,  and  many  a  one  of  them 
gained  applause  by  celebrating  the  obsequies  of 
Christianity,  and  by  writing  :  "  IIoiu  dogmas  are 
exploding  !  " 

After  the  death  of  his  pious  mother,  Alexis  found 
in  his  family  no  one  to  speak  to  him  of  God,  to 
remind  him  of  his  Christian  duties.  Far  from 
that,  his  father,  otherwise  an  honorable  man  and 
not  lacking  in  culture  of  mind  nor  elevation  of 
character,  was  a  philosopher  of  the  old  school 
a  Voltairean,  to  speak  plainly — an  ardent  patriot 
(but  after  a  fashion  that  was  just  a  little  revolu- 
tionary), and  no  detester  of  the  songs  of  Beranger 
nor  of  the  pamphlets  of  Paul  Louis  Courier.     If 


l6 


Alexis  Clcrc 


1; 


iiii' 

Ml 


I'l: 


'I; 

i; 


wc  may  believe  a  playmate  of  our  Alexis'  cliild- 
lioocl,  one  who  visited  the  house  to  share  his 
games  and  from  whom  there  were  no  secrets,  Mr. 
Clerc,  drawn  into  the  liberal  movement  of  the 
times,  and  extremely  hostile  to  the  government  of 
Charles  X.,  did  not  rest  a  mere  spectator  during 
the  events  of  July,  1830 ;  and  when  the  throne, 
undermined  by  the  labors  of  many  hands,  foil  for 
the  misfortune  of  France,  he  congratulated  him- 
self upon  their  success,  and  had  a  right  to  look 
upon  his  own  as  among  the  victors.  His  business 
affairs,  for  he  was  at  the  head  of  an  important 
commercial  enterprise,  were  not  improved  by  the 
situation;  during  the  crisis  he  even  met  with 
severe  losses,  from  which  he  never  afterwards  re- 
covered. Yet  his  political  convictions  remained 
unchanged  ;  he  did  not  spare  sacrifices  for  what  he 
deemed  the  good  cause,  and  when  the  Sude  was 
established  his  name  was  among  the  first  inscribed 
on  the  list  of  stockholders.  From  all  this  may  be 
seen  in  what  principles  Alexis  was  reared  and  what 
maxims  were  tauglit  him  ;  pains  were  taken  to  in- 
spire him  with  a  high  sense  of  honor,  an  immense 
disinterestedness,  a  boundless  devotion  to  his 
country  and  to  the  sacred  cause  of  lihertij,  but 
of  religion  there  was  no  question,  unless  j^erhaps 
to  warn  him  against  the  encroachments  of  the 
priesili/  ^;«?'«f_y. 

Did  Alexis  share  the  passions  and  prejudices  of 
his  father  in  religious  matters  ?  I  do  not  think 
so,  and  I  did  not  discover  that  it  was  among  the 
subjects  of  self-reproach  when,  after  his  conver- 


ilil 


before  his  Tivcnty-sci'cuth  Year, 


17 


sion,  ho  was  reviewing  the  years  oi  his  youth.  No, 
he  Imted  neither  tlio  men  nor  the  things  of  tlio 
Ciuirch  ;  indifTeience  and  disdain  were  all  he  be- 
lieved ho  owed  religion,  and  his  philosophy,  which 
was  entirely  negative,  went  no  further. 

lie  pursued  his  studies  successfully,  partly  at  the 
College  Henri  IV.,  and  partly  in  an  institution 
whore  the  toiichincf  was  after  the  method  of  Jacotot. 
'•'The  education  which  wo  received  in  that  house," 
one  of  his  early  companions  writes  us,  "  was  the 
ideal  of  an  education  without  God.  It  would  bo  to 
calumniate  Mr.  do  S —  to  call  him  an  enemy  of  reli- 
gion, but  it  would  be  to  ascribe  to  him  a  merit  which* 
he  did  not  possess  to  say  that  he  was  even  a  deist. 
I  would  not  have  believed  the  man  possible  had  I 
not  hnown  him.  Wc  got  along  in  that  school  as 
well  as  we  could." 

Then  follows  a  short  sketch  of  the  young  student 
whoso  after  career  was  to  be  so  laborious  and  so 
tilled  with  trials  to  the  very  end  : 

"Alexis  was  idleness  itself;  but,  thanks  to  his 
talents,  ho  was  one  of  the  most  disiiaguished  of 
tlio  pupils.  As  to  his  disposition,  I  have  never 
known  a  more  genial  nor  a  more  amiable  person. 
I  do  not  think  I  ever  saw  him  have  a  quarrel.  He 
was  on  bad  terms  with  nobody,  and  there  were  two 
or  three  of  us  who  were  particularly  good  friends 
(with  him." 

The  first  placo  among  these  intimate   friends 

lust  be  given  to  his  brother  Jules,  who  was  not 
:nore  than  two  years  his  senior,  and  who,  being  bat 
i\  little  further  advanced  in  the  classes,  had  the 


i8 


Alexis  Clcrc 


% 


K:imo  comnitlcs  and  acquainlimces.  Their  muiuul 
friendship  was  of  the  most  tender  kind,  and,  later, 
religion,  by  making  on  almost  the  same  day  tlic 
conquest  of  the  one  and  the  other,  drew  still  closer 
the  bonds  formed  by  blood  and  by  sympathy  of 
character. 

At  seventeen  years  of  age  Alexis  was  a  bachelor 
of  letters.  AVhat  should  he  determine  upon  next  ? 
Commerce  was  not  his  forte ;  having  no  taste  for 
examining  and  disputing  mercantile  interesls,  ho 
would  have  succeeded  in  that  walk  of  life  even 
worse  than  his  father  did.  It  was  thought  that 
•manufactures  would  open  a  field  vast  enough  to 
satisfy  his  longing  to  act,  to  prove  himself  a  man. 
Mr.  Clerc  counted  among  his  friends  a  Mr.  Griollet, 
who  superintended  a  woollen  manufactory,  and 
who,  to  parenthesize,  had  just  bought  the  chateau 
of  Voltaire  at  Forney.  Alexis  w-as  given  a  posi- 
tion in  the  factory.  But  the  affairs  of  his  patron 
did  not  prosper;  it  became  necessary  to  sell  every- 
thing, even  Ferney ;  and  Alexis,  again  on  his 
father's  hands,  was  once  more  in  search  of  a  posi- 
tion and  less  than  ever  decided  upon  the  career  to 
embrace. 

*'  It  was  then,"  says  the  faithful  witness  from 
whom  wo  borrow  these  details,  and  who  in  the 
kindest  possible  manner  jdaced  his  souvenirs  at  our 
disposal,  *'  it  was  then  that  Mr.  Clerc,  not  knowing 
what  to  do  with  a  very  intelligent  boy  who  was  the 
object  of  his  deepest  affections,  showed  me  the 
honor  of  consulting  me,  althougii  I  was  not  more 
than  a  few  months  older  than  Alexis.     One  of  my 


before  /lis  Tivcnty-scvcnih  Year, 


19 


ivlativcs  hud  lately  graduated  with  distinction  from 
tlio  Pulytcclinic  School.  I  suggested  the  Poly- 
tcchnio.  Mr.  Clerc  asked  nio  :  *  But  whom  shall 
I  employ  to  ])ro2-)arc  Alexis?'  I  spoke  of  the 
preparatory  school  where  my  cousin  had  been.  IIo 
stnt  us,  Alexis  and  me,  to  find  the  head  of  that  in- 
stitution. It  was  thus  Alexis  entered  the  estab- 
lishment of  Mr.  do  lleussc,  Rue  do  Vaugirard,  cor- 
ner of  tike  Rue  Ferou."  * 

There  the  student  was  the  same  that  ho  had 
been  during  (ho  course  of  his  classical  studies  ; 
til  is  we  learn  from  one  of  his  fellow-students  who 
followed  him,  after  the  interval  of  a  year,  to  the 
Polytechnic  School,  and  who  was  destined  to  meet 
him,  thirty  years  later,  a  priest  and  a  Jesuit  pre- 
paring for  the  supreme  trials  which  Providence  re- 
served for  him.  We  have  avoided  erasing  from 
these  lines  their  local  coloring ;  this,  wo  are  sure, 
will  not  offend  our  readers,  especially  if  they  have 
ever  happened  to  frequent  the  society  of  the  more 
or  less  studious  youth  from  whose  ranks  is  re- 
cruited the  large  and  illustrious  school  our  hero 
proposed  entering. 

''  I  formed  his  acquaintance  at  the  Institution  de 
Reussc  in  1839.  His  good  disposition.  Lis  gay  and 
cheerful  temperament,  made  him  beloved  by  every- 
body, while,  at  the  same  time,  his  ready  compre- 
l.ension  of  the  x  won  him  great  respect  among 
the  iauinns,  (thus  in  student  slang  arc  called  those 


*  Tho  luslitution  de  Reuiise,   which  1ms  nob  changed  its 
name,  is  at  prcaent  in  the  Ruo  du  Cardinal  Lemoine. 


20 


^■Uc'xis  Cli'TC 


who  arc  following  ii  special  mathematical  course  in 
preparation  for  the  Polytechnic  »Scliool).  ]Ie  was, 
moreover,  very  strong  in  literary  composition.  An 
aplitiulc  for  literature  and  mathematics  are  rarely 
found  together.  lie  had  also  a  great  deal  of  en- 
thusiasm in  liis  cliuractcr,  yet  this  did  not  exclude 
a  great  deal  of  good  sense." 

This  last  touch  i):iints  him  exactly,  shows  him 
just  as  we  kn^w  him  until  the  close  o^his  lifn. 
His  enthusiasm,  far  from  being  weakened  or  ex- 
tinguished— as  too  often  happens  in  proi)>')rtion  as 
experiences  multiply — was  rather  quickened  hy 
being  purified  through  contact  with  tlie  holy  reali- 
ties of  faith  and  with  eternal  hopes. 

After  a  rapid  preparation  he  was  admitted  into 
the  Polytechnic  School  with  a  very  fair  grade  of 
scholarship,  the  twenty-sixth.  The  same  amiable 
and  thoroughly  French  qualities  which  had  made 
liim  a  favorite  in  the  boarding-school  and  college 
procured  for  him  in  this  assemblage  of  young  men  of 
such  varied  origin  and  character  a  true  popularity, 
which  he  preserved  as  long  as  he  remained  among 
them,  and  which  we  have  found  still  alive  in  the 
remembrances  of  several  of  them.  Their  recollec- 
tions of  the  charming  gayety,  the  sprightly,  active 
temperament,  the  useful  bon-cnfant  character  of 
**  Little  Clerc  "  are  exhaustless.  They  were  ready 
to  relate  to  us  any  number  of  funny  tricks  and 
fpcGches,  always  quite  inoffensive,  by  which  he 
amused  h's  companions.  There  exists  at  the  Poly- 
tcch.nic  a  custom,  a  tradition,  regarding  the  man- 
ner of  welcoming  newcomers  and  of  putting  their 


g' 


before  his  Tivcuty-scvoiih  Year, 


31 


good-nature  to  the  test.  It  is  not  a  now  W\\\\^  in 
fc'cliOLtls,  and  there  is  miicli  in  it  to  bo  asliamed  of. 
Athens,  in  knowledge  and  priictico  of  it,  preceded 
and  i^robably  surpassed  Paiis,  whero  all  throuj,h 
the  Middle  Ages  the  rectors  of  the  university  had 
much  difficulty  in  protecting  the  new  arrivals, 
whose  purses  were  liable  to  be  drained  by  the  pay- 
ment of  their  bijannc.  What  is  the  cullc  iVah.sorp- 
lion  in  comparison  with  the  bejaiaie?  I  leave  the 
expression  without  a  parai)lirasc.  Perliaps  some 
day  it  will  join  Injaune  in  llie  dictionary  of  the 
Academv. 

Xevertheless,  it  must  bo  avowed  the  fun  often 
enough  exceeds  reasonable  limits  and  turns  into  a 
posiuive  vexation.  It  Avas  not  so  when  Lit  tic 
Cleic  (with  General  Thoumas,  we  are  assnred) 
was  clioscn  to  conduct  the  trial.  Under  his  man- 
agement things  always  passed  olT  in  a  way  that 
was  agreeable  to  all  concerned.  We  have  on  our 
desk  a  specimen  of  the  problems  ho  proposed  and 
the  questions  he  addressed  to  his  recruits.  It  is  a 
droll  document.  In  it  Greek  subtlety  clasps 
hands  with  Gallic  wit,  not  to  mention  the  forced 
agreement  of  mathematical  formulas  tiiat  caps  the 
climax.  But  there  is  not  a  word  to  offend  or 
wound,  and  it  would  seem  that  those  who  passed 
through  his  hands  were  lightly  tickled  but  not 
bruised. 

Thus  by  his  popularity  he  acquired  the  right  to 
say  anything  at  any  time,  and  was  sure  of  being 
listened  to.  One  day  some  ungrateful  task  or 
other  had  been  finished,  and  it  was  determined  to 


22 


A /ex is  Clerc 


destroy  all  traces  of  it.  So  behold  ourbi^  scholars 
heaping  up  in  a  court-yard  a  mountain  of  papers  ; 
they  touch  a  match  to  it,  then,  joining  hands, 
dance  around  it  in  the  most  hilarious  fashion. 
Suddenly  Clerc  detaches  himself  from  the  circle 
and  ajoproaches  the  burning  pile.  He  merely 
wants  to  light  his  cigar ;  but  they  mistake  his  in- 
tention, and  the  cry  is  started  :  '^  Clerc  wishes  to 
speak  ! "  In  a  moment  the  dance  is  arrested,  every 
man  hushes  his  noise  and  listens.  Whether  or  no, 
Clerc  has  to  speak,  to  prove  that  he  doesiiH  v/ant  to. 

Ho  entered  the  school  in  the  twenty-sixth  grade, 
he  left  it  in  the  twenty-third,  a  sign  that  he  had 
not  quite  gotten  rid  of  his  liking  for  laziness. 
That  grade  gave  him  the  right  to  choose  among 
several  careers,  some  of  them  very  desirable,  agree- 
able, and  even  lucrative.  What  was  not  the  aston- 
ishment of  his  companions  when  tliey  learned  that 
he  had  chosen  the  navy!  **A  famous  sailor 
he'll  make,"  said  one  ;  "  a  fellow  whose  only  voy- 
age has  been  u])on  the  Seine,  between  Bcrcy  and 
Charenton  !"  *'Hc  has  the  ambition  to  go  round 
the  world,"  added  another.  "  Does  he  know  what 
it  means,  he  who  has  never  been  out  of  Paris  in  his 
life,  unless  to  go  en  concou  to  Versailles  or  Mont- 
fermeil  ?  "    And  so  on  with  a  long  string  of  jests. 

The  fact  is,  Alexis'  vocation  for  the  sea  was 
extremely  sudden,  and  for  a  native  of  the  Rue 
Bourdonnais  quite  extraordinary.  He  made  his 
first  trial  of  it,  without  any  preparation  whatever, 
by  a  four  years'  cruise  in  the  Southern  seas,  and  by 
"  the  conquest  of  the  Marquesas  Islands,"  one  of 


m 


before  /lis  Tiventy -seventh  Year,  23 


his  friends  tells  us.  Wiiat  had  caused  him  to  take 
so  singular  and  so  unexpected  a  resolution  ?  I 
strongly  suspect,  in  tlie  first  place,  that  every  sort 
of  administrative  employment  was  repugnant  to 
him,  and  that  he  was  nob  willing;,  at  any  price,  to 
shut  himself  up  in  an  office,  lie  required  air, 
sunlight,  space,  elbow-room.  Then  he  had  an  am- 
bition, not  a  petty  but  a  vast  and  lofty  one — an 
ambition  to  do  something  great,  and  to  serve  his 
country  by  placing  at  her  disposal  his  abilities,  and 
even,  if  need  be,  his  blood  and  his  life.  It  was  the 
beautiful  ambition  of  youth,  which  believes  in 
glory  and  in  magnanimous  devotedness,  the  am- 
bition which  Virgil  so  nobly  expressed  by  tho  lips 
of  his  Nisus  : 

"  Aut  pugnam  aut  aliquld  jamdudum  invadere  magnum 
Mens  agitat  mihi,  nee  placida  contenta  quiete  est." 

In  the  second  place,  if  I  look  for  exterior  causes, 
I  discover  one  which  acted,  it  seems  to  me,  upon 
our  Alexis.  There  was  among  the  friends  of  the 
family  an  excellent  woman,  Madame  Pages,  who 
took  a  lively  interest  in  him,  and  whose  name  fre- 
quently appears  in  his  letters.  She  had  a  brother, 
Commander  Baligofc,  who  was  captain  of  a  corvette 
that  was  about  starting  for  the  Southern  seas. 
"If  you  would  like  to  bo  a  sailor,"  she  said  to  the 
young  man,  *'my  brother  will  take  you  on  his  ship 
and  I  will  givo  you  your  sword."  "  I  desire  no- 
thing better,"  he  replied.  No  sooner  said  than 
done ;  and  it  may  be  added  that  when  he  started  on 
his  voyage  he  knew  neither  the  object  nor  tho  du- 
ration of  the  expedition. 


.  '1 


•    I, 


24 


Alrxis  Clcrc 


There  wus  no  time  to  lose.  Named  a  midship- 
man of  fji'sfc  class  on  the  first  day  of  October,  1841, 
he  embarked  at  Brest  on  the  Trioinphante  the  22d 
of  the  same  month,  and  found  himsCif,  the  fiituro 
ofiiocr,  more  of  a  novice  than  the  last  of  tlie  cabin- 
boys,  knowing  absolutely  nothing  of  the  mar.couvrc.s 
or  the  language  of  shipboard.  But  from  the  com- 
mencement he  showed  the  best  points  of  liis  nature; 
full  of  energy  and  resources,  joining  a  great  deal 
of  decision  of  character  to  that  French  spirit  of 
good-fellowship  which  never  makes  the  man  the 
loser,  lie  gained  esteem  and  friendship  directly. 
Admirably  well  placed  to  judge  him.  Commander 
Baligot,  wa-iting  "  at  sea,  December  17,"  says  :  "  As 
to  Alexis,  ho  is  a  fiuo  and  courageous  young  man, 
who  at  the  very  beginning  of  our  voyage  gave 
proof  of  his  energy.  I  hope  to  find  an  opportunity 
of  showing  him  how  much  it  caused  me  to  respect 
him." 

An  opportunity  soon  came,  but,  alas  !  in  a  way 
unexpected  by  that  excellent  man,  who  gave  to  the 
young  midshipman  a  mark  of  esteem  and  confi- 
dence usually  reserved  for  a  riper  age  and  a  longer 
experience.  Mr.  Bahgot  died  at  sea  before  reach- 
ing the  coasts  of  America,  appointing  Alexis  his 
testamentary  executor;  and  thus  at  the  entrance 
of  his  career  our  hero  was  deprived  of  the  counsels 
of  the  old  officer  without  whom  he  would  never 
have  dreamed  of  being  a  sailor.  *•'  Commander 
Baligot,"  he  wrote  to  his  father  (from  Valpanaso, 
August  19,  1842),  "  was,  as  well  as  I  can  judge, 
much  the  best  sailor  I  have  yet  seen.   ...  If  he  is 


before  his  Twenty-seventh  Year, 


25 


such  a  loss  to  the  vessel,  how  much  greater  a  one 
to  me  !"  And  he  adds,  thereby  making  a  revelation 
of  liis  character,  wliich  at  that  period  was  somewhat 
inclined  to  presumption  :  **Ever  since  I  have  ar- 
rived at  years  of  discretion — and  long  before,  if 
indeed  I  have  reached  those  years — I  have  always 
judged  for  myself — have  guided  myself  by  my  own 
im])ressions,  have  willed  with  my  own  will.  This 
beloved  commander  was  so  wise,  so  enlightened,  so 
noble,  that,  while  scarcely  aware  of  it,  I  allowed 
him  to  will  for  mo  ;  ho  loved  me  well  enough  to 
do  it.  His  death  leaves  me  without  purpose, 
without  object,  without  will.  I  am  like  one  wan- 
dering without  a  destination.  I  needed  his  strength. 
One  of  my  opinions  was  a  truth  to  me  if  he  shared 
it.    No  man  ever  before  had  such  power  over  me.'* 

So  it  was  that  the  young  man,  Avith  his  proud, 
enthusiastic  spirit,  yielded  himself  unreservedly 
and  witliout  calculation  of  the  results,  happy  be- 
yond all  expression  to  have  found  at  lust  a  man — a 
character,  rare  thing ! 

But  what  is  going  to  become  of  him  whose  voca- 
tion for  the  sea  was  dependent  on  that  one  man, 
and  who  had  lest  the  support  which  he  needed 
more  than  anything  else  at  the  beginning  of  such 
a  novel  career. 

The  elasticity  which  was  in  his  nature,  the  in- 
domitable energy  of  his  will  came  to  the  rescue ; 
not,  however,  that  he  experienced  the  same  joyful 
confidonce  as  at  the  moment  of  departure.  TriaU 
were  hard  for  him  to  bear,  and  ho  had  plenty  of 
them ;  he  felt  them  keenly,  but  was  not  discou- 


26 


Alexis  Clerc 


raged.  He  askeJ  himself  more  tliau  onee  if  he 
had  not  taken  a  false  step,  and  if  it  would  not  be 
better  to  turn  back  in  time  and  seek  another  way 
of  employing  his  talents.  Meanwhile  lie  made  the 
best  of  his  position,  conquering  his  dislike  and  all 
the  other  difficulties  of  the  calling,  and  taking 
good  care  never  to  be  downhearied. 

Such  is  the  picture  of  him  drawn  for  us  by  an  old 
navy  officer  who  was  his  companion  in  that  long  ex- 
pedition. This  gentleman,  a  few  years  younger  than 
our  hero,  was,  though  a  graduate  of  the  Naval 
School,  only  a  midshipman  of  second  class,  while 
Clerc,  a  pupil  of  the  Polytechnic,  had  been  without 
any  hesitation  appointed  midshipman  of  first  class. 
*'  He  Was  greatly  my  superior  in  scientific  acquire- 
ments," this  worthy  officer  tells  us  ;  "  but,  on  the 
other  hand,  my  practical  knowledge  gained  on  the 
school-ship,  excelled  his,  and,  understanding  per- 
fectly well  that  if  he  did  not  ask  explanations  he 
would  never  learn  the  details  of  certain  manoeuvres 
which  lie  would  bo  obliged  to  command  to  the  sail- 
ors, ho  begged  me  to  give  him  some  lessons.  So 
at  night  when  I  was  on  duty  ho  would  come  to  mc 
and  I  would  post  him  about  the  shii^'s  rigging,  and 
show  him  how  to  tie  knots  and  how  to  *  make  fast' 
in  the  usual  ways  ;  I  taught  him  the  names  of  the 
ropes  and  their  proper  arrangements.  It  was  thus 
that  in  a  very  short  time  lie  was  well  acquainted 
with  all  the  details  which  he  would  have  been  ig- 
norant of  for  ever  if  he  had  not  had  the  humility 
to  ask  questions  of  a  friend." 

Iq  mentioning  humility  the  Viscount  de  M. 


before  Jiis  Tiventy-scvcnth  Year,  27 

knew  very  well,  and  was  careful  to  add,  that  tho 
religion  of  his  comrade  was  then  in  a  *Matent 
state."  Humility,  that  essentially  Christian  yirtue, 
cannot  bo  engrafted  upon  an  absent  faith  ;  but  tho 
young  sailor  was  preserved  by  his  good  sense  from 
all  foolish  pride. 

This  kind  of  merit,  so  rare  in  a  beginner,  was 
singularly  attractive  to  men  of  experience,  and  ap- 
peared to  them  a  very  good  sign.  Mr.  Nielly, 
Commissioner  of  the  Navy,  wrote  to  Alexis' father  : 
''  Sir :  My  second  son,  who  for  six  months  past 
has  occupied  the  same  room  with  your  Alexis,  and 
is  pleased  with  the  partnership,  desires  me  to  in- 
form you  that  his  friend  was  well  on  the  10th  of 
November,  18J:"3;  that  their  corvette  sailed  the 
next  day  from  Valparaiso  for  the  Marquesas  Islands, 
where  she  was  to  be  stationed  for  six  months  in 
the  harbor  of  Nouka-IIiva,  then  to  return  to  Val- 
paraiso ;  and  that,  to  conclude,  the  chest  contain- 
ing the  balance  of  the  effects  of  the  late  Mr.  Bali- 
got,  captain  of  the  corvette,  is  on  board  the  go- 
vernment fri2;ate  Thetis  in  tho  harbor  of  Brest." 
Then  follow  some  details  I'elativo  to  the  property 
of  Commander  Baligot.  Mr.  Nielly  terminates  his 
letter  with  these  words,  which  must  have  been 
very  gratifying  to  Mr.  Clcrc  :  '*  There  now  remains 
for  me  only  to  congratulate  myself  upon  having 
had  an  opportunity  to  address  a  few  lines  to  the 
father  of  a  sailor  who,  young  as  he  is,  seems  to 
unite  to  talent  and  courage  the  wisdom  which  as- 
sures to  his  friends  and  to  himstit  the  fruits  of 
those  two  qualifications." 


28 


Alexis  CI  ere 


A  wisdom  entirely  human,  wo  must  again  re- 
mind the  reader ;  at  tlie  time  he  was  receiving 
such  praises  his  morals  were  far  from  being  irre- 
proachable, and  he  did  not  even  feel  the  sting  of 
remorse.  Xevertheless,  the  moment  of  grace  Avas 
approaching,  and  ere  long  so  many  natural  gifts 
would  be  transformed  into  Christian  virtues. 

The  interior  crisis  to  which  he  owed  his  salvation 
commenced  shortly  after  his  departure  from  Val- 
paraiso, at  the  Gambier  Islands,  wliich  he  visited 
on  his  way  to  the  Marquesas.  God  there  showed 
him  a  spectacle  that  made  a  deep  impression  on  his 
observing  mind,  and  caused  him  to  reflect  pro- 
foundly ;  it  was  the  spectacle  of  a  growing  Christi- 
anity renewing  the  marvels  of  the  primitive  Cburcli 
upon  the  still  smoking  ruins  of  an  abject  and 
bloody  idolatry. 

The  theatre  where  the  power  of  the  Gospel  was 
thus  manifested -is  very  small,  very  obscure,  and 
almost  ignored  by  the  rest  of  the  worlJ.     We  often 
hear  of  Tahiti,  the  new  Cytlicraj  which   owes  to 
Captain   Cook,  and  to  other  navigators  as  little 
scrupulous   as  he,    a  suspicious  celebrity.     But^ 
aside  from  Catholics  who  arc  interested  in  mission- 
ary labors  and  are  kept  informed  by  the  ''Annals 
of  the  Propagation  of  the  FaitJi,"  who  knows  any- 
thing more  than  the  names,  who  lias  ever  thouglii; 
of  studying  in  its  most  interesting  phase  the  his- 
tory of  those  little    islands   of    volcanic   origin, 
Mangarcva,  Taravai",  Aokena,  Akamarou,   whicu 
form  the  archipelago  of  Gambier,  lost  in  the  im- 
mensity of  the  Pacific  Ocean,  about  three  hundred 


before  his  Tzventy-seveiith  Year, 


29 


leagues   from  Tahiti  and  the  same  distance  from 
tlie  Marquesas  ?    The  first  time  that  French  mis- 
sionaries, some  priests  belonging  to  the  Congrega- 
tion of  Picpus,  landed  on  those  isles  at  the  risk  of 
their   lives,   they  found   the   only  population   to 
consist  of  terrible  cannibals,  perfectly  naked,  war- 
ring with  their  neighbors  for  the  sake  of  feasting 
upon  the  flesh  and  blood  of  the  vanquished,  joining, 
in  a  word,  the  appetites  of  ferocious  beasts  to  the 
instincts  of  depraved  children;  and  for  the  rest, 
an  enchanting  country  of  prodigious  fertility.    The 
narrow  belt  of  land  which  surrounds  each  extinct 
crater  produces  abundantly  and  without  any  culti- 
vation, the  cocoa-tree,  the  banana,  and  the  bread- 
fruit, and  these  furnish  the  islanders  not  only  with 
food  and  clothing,  but  with  the  timber,  the  roofing, 
and  all  the  furniture  of  their  little  houses.     Previ- 
ous to  the  years  1834,  1835,  all  that  richness  of  soil 
and  beauty  of  climate  was  the  empire  of  the  devil ; 
the  Sun  of   Righteousness  had  not  yet  risen  upon 
those  unfortunate  people   seated  in  darhness  and 
in  the  shadoio  of  death  ;  there  was  not  a  soul  in  all 
that  archipelago  who  was  not  a  slave  to  supersti- 
tion, to  anthropophagy,  and  to  the  most  shameful 
lechery,  and  not  a  word  of  salvation  had  ever  been 
spoken  upon  those  inhospitable  shores.     Fathers 
Caret  and  Laval,  on  landing  at  Mangareva,   tho 
largest  of  the  four  islands — it  measures  nearly  three 
miles  in  extent — saw  at  the  first  glance  what  sort  of 
men  they  had  to  deal  with,  and  what  were  the 
manners  of  the  place.     The  natives  gave  them  a 
kindly  and  even  hearty  welcome,  bat  one  which 


30 


Alexis  CI  ere 


lillli 


'I 


o 


did  not  inspire  them  with  confidence.  The  chief 
of  a  quite  numerous  population  having  towards 
sunset  offered  them  hospitality,  they  accepted  a 
little  food,  but  declined  sleeping  in  his  hut,  think- 
ing they  would  be  safer  in  the  neighboring  wood. 
Vain  precaution  !  When  night  came  they  were 
the  objects  of  nameless  solicitations,  and  (they 
themselves  relate)  proposals  contrary  to  tlie  holiest 
of  virtues  were  made  them.  They  fled,  and  were 
pursued  unmercifully.  Then  they  tried  to  hide 
themselves  by  crouching  down  among  the  reeds 
that  grew  on  the  shore,  when  fire  was  brought  into 
requisition,  and  they  were  surrounded  by  a  circle 
of  flames,  all  the  outlets  of  which  were  guarded  so 
as  to  oblige  them  to  fall  into  the  infamous  snare. 
They  succeeded  in  saving  their  honor  and  their 
lives  only  through  a  miracle  of  Providence.  Such 
were  the  islanders  of  Mangareva  anterior  to  1834. 

Very  well!  A  few  years  later  these  same,  island- 
ers will  be  fervent  Christians  and  civilized  men ; 
redoubling  by  their  industry  the  fertility  of  a  soil 
already  so  productive  ;  cultivating  the  arts  neces- 
sary to  the  preservation  or  embellishment  of  life  ; 
welcoming  the  stranger  with  a  true  ancl  helpful 
charity  ;  practising  chastity,  meekness,  disinterest- 
edness, sincerity,  gratitude,  and  deriving  from  the 
love  of  Jesus  Christ  and  his  holy  Mother  the  ideal 
and  inspiration  of  all  the  virtues. 

And  this  was  what  our  young  sailor  saw  with 
his  own  eyes  on  landing  at  the  Gambler  Islands 
during  the  course  of  the  year  1842.  He  was  shown 
a  church,   the  first  construction  of  masonry  in 


:  i 


before  his  Tzventy-sevoith  Year, 


31 


Maiigareva,  built  of  enormous  blocks  of  coral  wliicli 
the  natives  liad  torn  from  the  bowels  of  the  sea,  as 
it  were,  and  brought  on  rafts  a  distance  of  five 
leagues.  He  became  acquainted  witli  tlie  former 
liigh-priest  of  the  island,  Matna,  a  species  of  giant, 
not  long  since  an  antliropopbago,  and  now  as  gentle 
as  a  lamb.  Matua  was  among  the  lirst  to  accept 
tlie  good  tidings,  and  his  example  determined  the 
king,  Maputeo,  his  nephew,  to  receive  baptism.  In 
a  letter  dated  at  Valparaiso,  and  written  after  his 
return  there  from  the  Marquesas  Islands,  Alexis 
relates  to  his  father  the  strange  things  of  which  he 
had  been  the  happy  witness,  and  communicates  to 
him  without  many  comments  the  first  impressions 
produced  in  his  sotrl  by  the  sight  of  this  infant 
Christianity.  I  will  quote  a  few  passages  from  this 
letter: 

*'  When  we  left  Valparaiso  we  knew  not  the  ob- 
ject of  our  voyage.  We  went  to  the  Gambler 
Islands. 

"  It  was  ten  years  since  an  English  government 
vessel  had  touched  there  for  a  supply  of  water. 
The  natives  fell  upon  the  lieutenant  and  a  sailor, 
killed  and  ate  them.  They  went  about  perfectly 
naked,  and  were  the  most  ferocious  and  savage  of 
all  the  inhabitants  of  Oceanica.  Now  here  is 
what  WG  saw :  This  group  of  islands  consists  of 
four;  we  visited  the  principal  two,  Mangareva  and 
Aokena.  The  approach  to  them  is  very  diflicult, 
there  being  a  great  many  coral-reefs  to  avoid ; 
and  as  they  produce  nothing  for  commerce  but 
pearls  and  mother-of-pearl,  few  vessels  frequent 


32 


Alexis  Clcrc 


i 


% 
i 


% 


them.  Eight  years  ago  two  French  missionaries 
with  two  workmen  established  themselves  tliere. 
They  Icarnetl  the  language.  By  their  good  advice 
and  conduct  they  gained  the  esteem  and  affection 
of  the  savages ;  then  they  undertook  to  convert 
and  civilize  them.  It  is  impossible  to  conceive  by 
what  prodigies  of  devotedness  tlicy  attained  this 
object,  and  to  what  degree.  The  natives  are  now 
all  Christians  ;  they  are  honest,  good,  laborious,  and 
very  i)ious. 

"The  high-priest  who  slaughtered  the  English- 
men was  one  of  the  first  converts.  IIo  is  a  tall, 
stout,  fine-looking  man,  tattooed  all  over,  who  de- 
scribes with  much  simplicity  the  tricks  by  which  he 
used  to  work  upon  the  credulity  of  his  disciples. 
The  king  was  the  most  reluctant  to  be  baptized, 
but  lie  consented  at  last,  and  all  the  people  follow- 
ed his  example. 

*'Now  the  children  attend  school.  There  are 
two  schools,  one  for  the  girls  and  one  for  the  boys ; 
they  learn  to  read,  write,  and  cipher;  religion  is 
taught  them,  and  especially  good  principles  ;  Latin 
is  added  for  the  boys. 

**  Cotton  grows  plentifully  in  these  islands  ;  the 
people  have  learned  to  spin,  weave,  and  make  gar- 
ments of  it,  and  consequently  they  arc  now  all 
clothed. 

"The food  of  all  the  natives  of  Oceanica  is  the 
fruit  of  the  bread-tree,  prepared  in  a  way  that  is 
perfectly  detestable  to  a  European ;  the  mess  is 
called  jt)  0^0  i. 

"The  missionaries  have  taught  these  people  of 


before  Ids  Tzvetify -seventh  Year, 


33 


the  Ganibicr  Islands  to  prepare  this  fruit  better, 
and  also  to  preserve  supplies  of  it  iu  the  earth  to 
prevent  tlic  terrible  famines  which  a  sudden  tem- 
pest may  bring  upon  them. 

''Finally,  these  good  fathers  have  built  a  church, 
simple,  but  more  beautiful  than  many  of  our  coun- 
try cliurches — built  it  with  the  assistance  of  only 
two  mechanics.  The  savages  brought  on  rafts 
blocks  of  stone  from  a  distance  of  five  leagues,  and 
leiirned  from  the  workman  how  to  hew,  raise,  and 
set  tliem  in  place.  The  missionaries  found  in  the 
numerous  coral-reefs  that  are  so  disastrous  to  navi- 
gation an  inexhaustible  cpiarry  of  tho  finest  lime- 
stone in  the  world.  They  built  of  this  a  house  for 
tliemselves  and  one  for  the  king,  and  these  servo 
tlie  inhabitants  as  models  for  the  construction  of 
others. 

''  The  missionaries  have  not  sought  to  obtain  any 
authority  in  the  country  ;  they  have  only  reformed 
ic  and  left  it  in  the  hands  of  the  king.  It  must  be 
a  very  genuine  piety  that  inspires  such  conduct. 
Our  missionaries  are  very  different  from  those  of 
the  English.  The  English  missionaries  work  for 
their  own  country,  ours  for  the  country  they  are 
in.  The  islands  where  there  are  English  mis- 
Eionaries  become  English  ;  those  where  ours  are 
form  themselves  into  little  states. 

"  We  spent  three  days  in  this  happy  region, 
among  them  a  Sunday  which  was  a  greiit  festival. 
The  entire  ship's  company,  officers,  midshipmen, 
and  men,  attended.  Mass  in  uniform.  The  church 
was  tilled  with  a  throng  of  people  who  sang  in  the 


34 


Alexis  CIcrc 


iV 


language  of  the  country,  and  to  an  air  which  be- 
longed to  their  old  religion,  a  hymn  the  missionaries 
had  composed  for  them.  The  harmony,  simple  yet 
striking,  produced  upon  me  an  impression  such  ag 
I  had  never  experienced.  .  .  , 

"After  Mass  the  missionaries  invited  us  to  their 
house  to  breakfast  witli  the  king  and  the  high- 
priest.  A  very  frugal  repast  was  offered  us,  but 
with  such  hearty  kindness  I  These  poor  people 
use  shells  for  plates  ;  they  had  bread  that  day,  but 
they  are  often  reduced  to  W\q  'pupoi.  What  heroic 
dcvotedness  is  that  of  these  missionaries !  but 
what  a  reward  is  not  such  a  result!  I  almost 
thought  I  was  dreaming,  or  that  I  was  witnessing 
the  reality  of  a  chapter  from  the  *  Natchez.* 

"  Finally,  a  wonderful  thing  in  Occanica,  the 
women  are  chaste  and  marriages  are  respected. 
Since  this  has  been,  the  population,  which  usually 
decreases  among  savages,  increases  a  third  a  year. 
But  I  must  reserve  something  to  tell  you  on  my  re- 
turn, for  I  shall  return,  perhaps.  .  .  ." 

This  is  all,  and  one  would  hardly  sus])ect,  to  read 
this  narrative,  only  hero  and  there  interspersed 
with  short  reflections,  what  a  deep  and  lasting  im- 
pression Alexis  carried  away  from  his  visit  to  the 
Gambler  Islands.  But  in  after  life  he  was  often 
heard  to  refer  to  that  date  the  beginning  of  the 
work  of  his  conversion,  a  work  which  was  for  a 
long  time  a  secret  one  and  reached  its  comiiletion 
upon  another  shore  four  years  later.  If  he  had 
communicated  all  his  thoughts  to  his  father  he 
would  not  have  been   understood.     And  was  he 


before  his  Twcnty-siVOiiJi  Year, 


3S 


quite  conscious  liimsclf,  at  that  time,  of  what 
glassed  in  the  depths  of  his  soul  ?  If  I  do  not  mis- 
take, it  was  after  having  seen  and  sincerely  admir- 
ed all  these  wonders,  and  during  his  second  so- 
journ at  Valparaiso,  that  he  saw  himself  two 
steps  from  death,  realized  it,  and  yet  had  not  a 
single  thought  for  eternity. 

One  day,  to  repeat  what  he  several  times  related 
to  his  friends  and  brothers,  he  was  climbing  up  a 
steep  and  dangerous  declivity — having,  perhaps, 
undertaken  the  ascent  of  some  one  of  the  Chilian 
mountains — when  suddenly  his  foot  slipped  and  he 
felt  himself  rolling  into  the  abys?.  lie  might  have 
lain  there  for  ever,  but  fortunately  he  was  drawn 
out  alive,  though  badly  bruised.  The  letter  from 
which  I  have  quoted  above  speaks  of  two  splintera 
of  bone  being  extracted  without  very  great  d.flS- 
culty,  and  of  the  assurance  of  a  complete  recovery. 
Now,  at  the  critical  moment  when,  losing  all  hope, 
he  bade  within  himself  a  farewell  to  life,  among 
the  thousand  reflections  that  crossed  his  mind  with 
the  rapidity  of  lightning,  the  most  striking  was 
this:  "It  was,  indeed,  worth  the  "while,  my  poor 
Alexis,  to  enter  the  Polytechnic  School,  and  to  go 
through  such  a  rude  apprenticeship  to  the  trade  of 
a  sailor,  only  to  come  here  in  the  end  to  break 
your  neck  so  far  from  your  friends,  and  to  leave 
your  bones  in  this  miserable  hole  I "  This  was  the 
limit  of  his  philosophy  then  ;  but  patience  I  the 
good  seed  is  in  his  soul  and  it  will  bear  its  fruits. 

A  sailor's  life  has  this  advantage — namely,  that 
by  isolating  men  it  ripens  them,  if  they  be  ever 


36 


Alexis  Ckrc 


so  little  disposed  not  to  dissipate  by  frivolity  the 


grave 


and  serious    thoughts   which   the   suhlimo 


spectacles  of  nature  must  awaken  in  their  breasts. 
Man  feels  himself  so  little  in  comparison  with  the 
\ast  expanse  of  the  heavens  and  the  waters,  so  fee- 
ble in  his  incessant  struggle  against  the  elements, 
that,  even  in  spite  of  himself,  he  re^nembers  that 
he  is  not  master  of  his  life,  that  he  was  not  made 
for  himself,  that  his  destiny  is  not  in  his  own 
hands,  and  that  he  is  a  being  irresistibly  impelled 
towards  a  distant  shore  about  which  his  reason  can 
give  him  only  a  very  imperfect  knowledge.  How 
will  he  not  welcome  the  idea  of  a  divi?ie  revelation 
and  a  Saviour,  when  it  is  presented  to  him  in  its 
radiant  and  consoling  simplicity  !  His  ear  is 
closed  to  the  thousand  noises  of  human  throngs, 
and  his  solitary  meditation  is  not  disturbed  by  the 
conflict  of  opinions  and  systems.  Truth,  whose 
mysterious  voice  is  npvcr  still,  easily  makes  herself 
heard  in  his  heart,  and  takes  possession  of  his 
whole  being  from  the  moment  he  consents  to  lis- 
ten. 

From  the  day  he  received  at  the  Gambler  Islands 
this  first  ray  of  light  the  young  sailor  became 
more  serious,  more  earnest ;  and  without  having 
lost  any  of  the  amenity  of  his  pleasing  character, 
he  began  (this  is  plainly  seen  in  his  letters)  to  look 
at  life  in  its  graver  aspects,  and  to  have  a  better 
appreciation  of  his  duties.  His  affection,  always 
strong,  for  his  father  and  brothers  was  purified, 
and  expressed  itself  sometimes  in  touching  regrets, 
and  sonieiimos   in  aspirations  and  desires.      Ho 


before  his  Tiventy-sevenih  Year, 


17 


realized,  now  that  lie  was  deprived  of  it,  the  sweet- 
ness and  value  of  the  family  life. 

"I  have  before  me  in  my  secretary,"  ho  writes 
to  his  father,  *'  my  library,  the  mere  sight  of  which 
affords  me  great  happiness.  How  sweet,  and  at 
the  same  time  how  sad  it  is,  to  gaze  at  these  tokens 
of  your  affection,  and  of  that  of  my  brothers  and 
friends  ! 

"  Alas  I  this  is  the  cruel  part  of  the  profession  ; 
the  old  life  is  ended,  and  I  shall  see  you  perhaps 
only  three  or  four  times  until  1  am  retired  from  the 
service. 

"  To  have  been  so  close  to  happiness  and  to  have 
left  it  for  ever !  Where  shall  I  find  the  same 
affection,  and,  if  I  could  find  it,  would  I  be  able 
to  break  the  bonds  which  bind  me  to  the  old  ?  No, 
and  1  would  not  want  to  if  I  could.  Ah  !  my  dear, 
kind  father,  how  well  I  understand,  now  that  I 
wasted  my  happiness  by  not  enjoying  more  than  I 
(lid  your  affection  for  me,  and  by  hiding  mine  from 
you  !  How  stupid  it  is  to  rebel  against  what  is 
best,  to  be  unwilling  to  yield  anything,  to  forgive 
anything  !  Alone,  removed  from  exterior  events, 
without  anxiety  about  the  material  things  of  life, 
we  understand  better  how  much  of  the  true  happi- 
ness of  life  comes  from  the  family,  and  how  delight- 
ful is  constant,  mutual  affection.  I  am  deprived 
of  it  forever  ;  you  are  lost  to  me.  What  us  there  to 
compensate  me  for  such  a  loss  ?  Absolutely  no- 
thing ;  and  the  fate  of  a  naval  officer  is  to  become 
insensible  as  a  stone.  Ho  has  torn  himself  awny 
from  all  early  affections,  and  he  finds  himself  in- 


'i;;i 


38 


Alexis  Clcrc 


'•!; 


■ii! 


capable  and  undesirotis  of  forming  new  ones  only 
to  be  in  turn  torn  from  them." 

This  conclusion,  which  nobody  will  bo  tempted 
to  take  seriously,  was  merely  a  whim.  No,  most 
certainly — and  Clcrc  is  himself  the  best  proof  of  it 
— the  naval  officer  is  not  by  profession  either  in- 
different or  insensible,  and  he  can  say  with  as 
much  truth  as  any  other  man  : 

"  Homo  sum  et  humani  nihil  a  me  alienum  puto." 

How  sad  poor  Alexis  is  when,  returning  to  Val- 
paraiso after  a  first  cruise  in  the  Southern  seas,  he 
finds  no  letter  from  his  father  or  brothers,  no  news 
from  his  family  !  And  also  what  an  excess  of  joy 
is  his  when  the  mail  has  not  miscarried,  and  ho 
sees  the  dear  handwriting  again  !  **'  Let  me  try  to 
express,"  he  writes  in  reply,  "  first  of  all  my  deep 
gratitude  for  your  kind  and  affectionate  letters. 
What  solicitude  in  my  behalf  !  Ah  !  my  dear 
father,  the  warmth  of  my  embraces  could  alone  give 
you  an  idea  of  how  sweet  to  my  heart  are  the  mul- 
tiplied proofs  of  your  tender  affection.  Your  good 
advice  is  a  kind  Providence  protecting  a  poor  child 
so  far  away  from  home ;  it  delights  me,  and  I  make 
it  my  duty  to  follow  it." 

In  answer  to  his  father's  having  said  that  he  had 
accounts  to  render  him,  and  that  he  considered 
himself  his  debtor,  Alexis  writes:  "I  am  paid, 
overpaid.  I  feel  almost  angry  at  the  idea  of  a 
father's  owing  accounts  to  his  children.  I  don't 
want  to  ever  hear  it  spoken  of  again." 

As  to  the  advice  which  the  young  sailor  asked, 


before  his  Tiventy-seventJi  Year, 


39 


and  which  lie  always  cheerfully  accepted,  it  was 
about  not  only  the  general  direction  of  his  life,  but 
took  in  the  details  regarding  propriety  and  man- 
ners. Here  is  quite  a  singular  example  of  it: 
After  a  ts\'0  years'  cruise,  the  time  being  come  for 
his  promotion,  Alexis  had  the  very  natural  desire 
to  return  to  France,  where,  after  an  examination, 
he  would  be  regularly  advanced  to  the  gi'ade  of 
ensign,  He  already  performed  the  services  of  an 
officer,  but  he  had  not  the  rank — a  position  doubly 
false  for  him,  inasmuch  as  his  age  and  his  having 
been  a  pupil  of  the  Polytechnic  School  separated 
him  from  the  other  cadets.  .  If  we  join  to  this  his 
eager  desire  to  revisit  his  country  and  to  embrace 
his  father  and  brothers  once  more,  we  Can  without 
much  difficulty  conceive  that  he  would  take  some 
steps  to  obtain  from  the  commander  of  the  squa- 
dron— it  was,  I  believe.  Admiral  Hamelin — per- 
mission to  return  to  France  at  the  earliest  oppor- 
tunity. So  far  there  was  nothing  but  what  was 
perfectly  correct,  and  Mr.  Clerc  had  no  fault  to 
find.  But  there  had  been  some  gossip  about  the 
matter,  and  what  had  reached  the  ears  of  that  ex- 
cellent father  had,  from  his  way  of  looking  at 
things,  attained  in  his  mind  enormous  proportions. 
His  son — was  it  credible  ? — liad  written  to  ask  an 
audience  of  the  admiral!  Had  written!  Was 
not  this  forgetting  all  his  dignity,  and  assuming 
gratuitously  the  airs  of  a  beggar  ?  At  least,  I  sup- 
pose this  was  what  so  shocked  a  man  in  love  with 
the  principles  of  '89,  and  so  touchy  about  equality. 
But  in  point  of  fact  the  affair  was  quite  different. 


40 


Alexis  CI  ere 


m 


Hi: 


Alexis  had  simply  addressed  himself,  as  was  cus- 
tomary, to  the  admiral's  aid,  and  to  the  off-hand 
question,  "  What  do  you  want  with  him  ?  "  of  that 
personage,  had  replied :  "  Bo  good  enough  to 
name  me  to  him,  and  I  presume  that  will  be  suffi- 
cient to  make  him  aware  of  my  business."  How 
relieved  Mr.  Clerc  must  have  felt  when  he 
learned  that  his  son  had  not  been  guilty  of 
what  seemed  to  him  a  platitude  !  This  suscep- 
tibility, which  was  perhaps  excessive,  will  enable 
the  reader  to  comprehend  better  than  any  words 
what  must  have  been  Alexis'  education,  and  what 
was  the  level  of  the  ideas  and  sentiments  of  his 
honorable  family. 

Alexis  did  not  obtain  his  return  at  the  end  of 
two  years,  nor  even  of  three,  and  it  was  only  dur- 
ing the  fourth  that,  weary  of  a  cruise  the  results 
of  which  were  not  in  his  eyes  very  magnificent,  he 
landed  again  in  France.  When  gazing  at  the  bare 
and  uninh^ibitable  rocks  which  comi^ose  almost  the 
whole  of  the  archipelago  of  the  Marquesas,  musing 
upon  the  impenetrable  mystery  with  which  the  ex- 
pedition was  surrounded  to  its  close,  and  dreaming 
about  the  great  expected  results,  he  could  not  help 
crying  out  with  his  Parisian  nervousness:  "0 
mountain,  what  a  bringing  forth  !''  lie  perhaps 
thouglit  within  himself  that  one  sailor  more  or 
less  in  the  fleet  did  not  matter  much  to  the  pro- 
jects of  colonization  that  were  under  consideration, 
while  it  mattered  very  much  to  him,  Alexis  Clerc, 
whether  or  no  he  remained  indefinitely  a  simple 
cadet  of  the  first  class.     He  said  somethino-  to  this 


before  Jiis  Tiveyity-seveiith  Year. 


41 


effect  to  tlic  admiral,  wlio  tried,  without  any  suc- 
cess, to  persuade  him  that  for  the  time  being  it 
was  a  great  deal  better  for  him  to  be  a  cadet  than 
an  officer,  and  who  moreover  had  the  want  of  tact 
(the  plirase  docs  not  appear  too  strong  to  me)  to 
add  :  "Of  all  the  pupils  of  the  Polytechnic  School 
whom  I  have  met  in  the  government  marine  ser- 
vice, I  do  not  know  one  who  is  a  sailor." 

It  was  decidedly  imprudent  and  really  too  bad  to 
say  this  to  Alexis.  If  he  had  been  one  of  those 
young  pedants  stuffed  full  of  equations,  who 
would  not  touch  with  the  end  of  their  finger  the 
smallest  piece  of  rope,  the  lesson,  if  lesson  there 
was,  would  have  been  well  given  ;  but  we  have 
seen  that  our  cadet  did  not  deserve  it  in  the  least 
degree,  and  tliat  by  his  anxiety  to  instruct  himself 
and  to  learn  his  profession  even  from  his  inferiors 
he  had  caused  the  best  opinions  to  be  entertained 
of  him.  Thus  it  was  that  this  quality  of  pupil  of 
the  Polytechnic  School,  which  would  have  ojiened 
to  him  all  the  gates  of  a  civil  career,  became  an 
obstacle  to  his  advancement ;  those  studies,  that 
theoretical  knowledge  elsewhere  so  highly  appre- 
ciated, were  laughed  at  here,  and  pronounced  to  be 
merchandise  only  fit  to  throw  overboard.  This 
gave  the  young  man  food  for  serious  reflection  ;  he 
took  a  cool  survey  of  his  position,  and  saw  himself 
in  the  isolation  in  which  he  had  been  left  by  the 
death  of  the  regretted  Commander  Baligot.  No 
name,  no  fortune,  no  military  or  naval  notoriety 
in  his  family,  none  of  those  important  relations 
that  assist  merit  to  rise,  when  they  do  not  take 


42 


Alexis  Clcrc 


'9. 


;i 


i 


the  place  cf  merit  altogether.  Could  he  rely  upon 
his  sudden  determination  to  bfe^  a  sailor?  If  he 
had  deceived  himself,  would  it  not  be  better  to  re-, 
trace  his  steps  while  there  was  yet  time  ?  Upon 
this  point  he  examines  himself,  analyzes  himself 
from  Head  to  foot,  and  then  consults  his  best 
frierfd'  and  his  surest  adviser,  that  enlightened, 
father  to  whom  he  has  recourse  on  all  occasions : 

"I  have  not,  I  think,  a  great  deal  of  ambition 
to  sustain  me  in  these  continual  struggles.  Must 
one  impose  silence  on  that  pride  which  claims  an 
elevated  position  ?  Or,  on  the  other  hand,  must 
one  make  the  sacrifice,  at  any  price  save  that  of 
honor,  of  all  prdtcnsion  to  rank  ?  Or,  again,  shall 
I,  fulfilling  all  my  duties  with  modesty,  wait  till 
fortune  deigns  to  think  of  me  ?  .' 

"The  career  of  ambition  is  difficult,  uncertain, 
and  irritating  on  account  of  the  constant  disap- 
pointments one  me6ts  with  ;  it  is  doubly  so  to 
me,  who  have  no  guide,  and  who  feel  only  rarely 
that  sacred  fii'e  which  animates. men  whose  ambi- 
tion is  noble.  Now,  I  shall  never  have  the  narrow 
ambition  of  certain  persons  whom  I  know,  who  see 
in  elevation  only  elevation,  and  the  prestige  and 
money  that  are  attached  to  it,  and  do  not  in  the 
least  see  in  it  a  means  of  exercising  their  talents 
with  advantage  and  success.    .        ,  ,      -^   -•  - 

"Would  not  the  following  plan  be  the  best  for 
me  ?  To~  occupy  myself  quietly  with  th3  ideas 
which  I  love,  to  nourish  the  sentiments  which  are 
sweetest  to  me,  and,  fulfilling  the  duties  of  my 


before  J  lis  Twenty-seventh  Year,  43 

calling  in  tlic  best  possible  manner,  to  trust  the 
future  to  happy  eliiinco?  " 

A  noble  nature  after  all,  that,  even  before  being 
transiigured  by  grace,  understood  the  full  value  of 
disinterestedness,  and  never  sought  after  what  was 
low  or  unworthj^ 

We  ate  ignorant  of  the  father's  reply.  Doubt- 
less he  reserved  his  counsels  for  the  time  when, 
his  son  being  returned  to  Paris,  their  mutual  ex- 
change of  sentiments  would  be  pleasanter  and 
more  intimate.  That  time  seemed  always  to  be 
postponed.  Alexis  told  hi&  friends  that  they 
would  find  him  greatly  changed ;  that  having 
parted  from  them  at  twenty-two,  he  would  rejoin 
them  at  twenty-six— ^a  lon^  period  ol  Yde,  grmide 
fipatium,  as  Tacitus  says,  for  men  at  that  age*     •  ■ 

In  the  first  part  of  Januajy,  1845,  while  going 
from  Arica  to  Islay  (Peru),  he  Wrote  to  his.  father 
and  communicated  some  of  h)B  melancho]/  reflect 
tions.  lie  finished  his  letter  by  saying  :"  I  pro- 
pose to  make,  on  our  arrival  at  Gallao,  whicli  I 
hope  will  be  soon,  new  attempts  to  leave  the  ves- 
sel ;  but  I  have  little  hope  of  succeeding.  I  think 
Iwill  be  able  to  informi  you  of  their  result  in  this 
letter,  which  I  shallmail  only  at  CalUxo."  Koscr- 
theless,  the  end  of  this  long  and  tedious  cruise  was 
approaching,  and,  contrary  to  all  expectation,  he 
was  able  to  add  to  his  \cttev  ihU  post-script ii7n  : 
"To-day,  January  21,  the  corvette  has  reached 
Callao.  I  have  obtained  the  permit  to  return^ 
home  on  the  frigate  Charte,  commanded  by  Mr. 
Penaud.     She  sails  to-morrow  for  Valparaiso,  and 


44 


Alexis  Clcrc 


!iu( 


Hv 


thence  for  Franco.  Tliat  v/ill  bo  about  tbc  25lli 
of  February,  £o  I  shall  probably  be  in  Brest  at 
the  beginning  of  July,  and  with  you  by  August. 
But  I  luivc  not  joined  the  Cliarle  as  an  officer. 
Nothing  has  deterred  mc  when  there  was  question 
of  hastening  my  return."  lie  submitted,  therefore, 
to  a  final  trial,  and,  at  twenty-six  years,  re- 
sumed the  rank  and  service  of  a  midshipman  ;  but 
he  was  going  at  last  to  see  France  once  more  and 
to  embrace  his  father. 

When  he  stepped  on  the  soil  of  his  native  land 
he  had  had  four  years  of  service  at  sea  ;  he  had 
yisited  in  America,  the  coasts  of  Brazil,  of 
Chili,  and  of  Peru,  and  had  sailed  all  over 
Oceanica,  stopping  successively  at  the  Gam- 
bier  Islands,  the  Marquesas,  Tahiti,  and  the 
New  Hebrides.  His  experience  of  the  sea, 
which  was  nothing  when  he  started,  now  began  to 
surpass  that  of  a  midshipman  of  the  first  class. 
"We  have  proof  of  this  in  the  report  given  of  him 
by  Captain  (since  Admiral)  Penaud,  an  officer  of 
merit,  but  who,  we  are  told,  did  not  sin  by  exces- 
sive indulgence.  This  is  his  report  of  Alexis 
Clerc  :  '*  Active,  and  makes  himself  useful  ;  has  a 
taste  for  the  sea,  and  has  learned  a  great  deal  more 
in  practice  than  might  be  expected  of  a  pui)il  of 
the  Polytechnic  Schooh"  * 

But  the  great  result  of  this  cruise  was  for  him 
the  divine  my  that  had  penetrated  his  soul  at  the 
sight  of  the  Gambler  mission — a  ray  whose  evcr- 


*  Archives  of  the  Naval  Bureau. 


before  his  Tivcnty- seventh  Year»  45 

increc.sin^  clearness  would  illumine  his  ^liolc  life 
and  discover  to  him  the  straight  path  \\\  which 
God  himself  guides  hit5  elect.  How  fur  had  this 
marvellous  transformation  progressed  at  the  close  of 
his  four  years  of  sea  service  ?  We  know  from  good 
authority  that  at  the  moment  of  leaving  Valparaiso 
for  France  he  imparted  to  an  ofUcer,  with  whose 
Christian  sentiments  ho  was  acquainted,  his  desire 
to  become  a  Christian  also,  and  begged  him  to  give 
him  introductions  to  some  friends  whose  example 
and  counsels  might  further  so  laudable  a  purpose. 
Therefore  it  is  certain  that  indifference  was 
b;ini:shed  from  his  soul,  and  wo  may  regard  him  as 
already  on  the  right  road.  Wo  would  probably  be 
more  edified  by  his  interior  dispositions  if  we  could 
find  a  letter  which  he  sent  to  his  father  for  a  third 
person,  and  to  which  he  drew  his  father's  attention 
by  the  following  words:  "This  parcel  contains  a 
leiter  for  my  Uncle  Bourgeois,  which  I  beg  you  to 
forward  to  him.  I  would  liko  you  to  read  it  with- 
out being  too  much  astonished,  and  especially 
without  believing  that  I  am  not  sincere.  There 
are  so  many  recesses  in  the  human  heart  that  the 
most  opposite  things  may  be  found  there." 

What,  then,  is  this  revelation  he  makes  to  his 
uncle  of  a  recess  of  his  heart  which  is  quite  vlq-^ 
to  his  own  father,  whom  he  would  have  share  the 
secret  ?  The  reader  ^vill  divine  it  when  he  learns 
that  the  Uncle  Bonrf^cois  was  a  perfect  Christian, 
as  well  as  a  man  of  quite  a  high  order  of  intellect, 
and  occupying  a  certain  position  in  the  scientific 
world.    Alexis  doubtless  hoped  by  this  means  to 


46 


Alexis  Clcrc 


lit'" 


I 


iii 


suggest  to  his  father  reflections  wliicli,  novel  as 
they  were  to  himself,  would  be  gladly  welcomed  by 
his  uncle,  but  could  not  without  preparation  bo 
addressed  to  the  one  of  the  three  who  had  the 
greatest  need  to  be  influenced  by  tliem. 

It  seems  as  though  the  reader  must  now  have  be- 
come pretty  well  acquainted  with  this  young  man, 
not  only  by  means  of  the  unanimous  testimony  of 
the  companions  of  his  childhood  and  youth,  but 
still  more  througli  the  living  likeness  he  has  left  of 
himself  in  those  letters  to  his  father  from  which 
we  have  several  times  quoted. 

His  was  a  transparent  nature,  and,  for  the  rest, 
perfectly  straightforward,  loyal  and  generous  to  a 
fault,  and  glowing  throughout.  Notwithstanding 
many  loct  pages  which  will  probably  never  bo 
found,  his  life  already  appears  to  us  like  an  open 
book  which  all  may  read  without  difficulty,  and 
wherein  the  sense  of  things  is  plain  without  the 
aid  of  any  commentary. 

In  sorting  his  papers  I  came  across  a  singular 
note  in  an  unknown  handwriting,  and  one  which 
docs  not  reappear  in  his  voluminous  correspon- 
dence. Was  it  scrawled  by  a  somnambulist  ?  Or 
is  it  the  work  of  somebody  who  pretended  to  un- 
ravel people's  character,  and  read  their  destinies 
from  a  few  lines  of  their  handwriting  ?  An  honest 
man  will  sometimes,  if  only  for  sport,  lend  himself 
to  these  attempts  at  divination  ;  and  if  the  attemj^t 
happens  to  be  successful,  the  paper  is  thrown  in  a 
desk  and  preserved  as  a  curiosity  and  a  souvenir. 

Whatever  was   the   origin   of  the  document  to 


:!!i 

,i!|i! 


before  his  Tzvcnty-scvcnth  Year* 


47 


"which  I  refer,  licrc  are  some  paragraphs  from  it 
that  are  certainly  applicahle  to  the  subject  of  this 
biograpliy  : 

** Active,  energetic,  impressionable,  irritable; 
extremely  enterprising,  laboring  with  enthusiasm 
and  nevertheless  easily  discouraged.  Needs  to  be 
supported  by  others."  Doubtless,  but  also  know- 
ing how  to  support  himself  when  all  exterior  lielp 
fails,  and  struggling  with  courage  against  discour- 
agement. 

"A  great  deal  of  spontaneity,  irresolute,  slow 
to  decide  ;  lively  passions,  anger  easily  roused." 
Both  true  and  false,  but  more  the  former  than  the 
latter. 

"  Speecli  quick  and  jerking  at  times."  V^cry 
good.  *'  Ideas  eccentric  and  fantastic."  True 
again,  but  with  this  reserve :  his  wayward  and  fan- 
tastic imagination  was  overruled  by  sound  common 
sense.  "  Will  have  quarrels  and  lawsuits."  The 
sagacity  of  our  soothsayer  is  quite  at  fault  on  this 
point ;  Alexis  could  not  have  lavvsuits  for  the  very 
simple  reason  that  his  rather  empty  purse  was  open 
to  everybody,  and  to  him  who  asked  for  two  sous 
he  would  give  three,  and  even  more. 

"  Marked  sincerity,  sometimes  exaggerated." 
Wonderfully  correct. 

"  He  will  travel  a  great  deal  and  make  long  voy- 
ages." I  suspect  this  was  not  arrived  at  by  j^uro 
and  simple  divination,  but  by  an  easy  process  of 
induction. 

*' A  restless  life  and  bu:incss  troubles  "  (no  more 
business  than  lawsuits).    ''  Fortunate  chances  now 


48 


Alexis  CUrc* 


and  then,  but  will  not  dcrlvo  from  tlicm  nil  tho  ad- 
van  t  ago  possible." 

**  Useful  and  devoted  to  liis  friends."  Yes,  and 
wc  shidl  meet  with  more  than  ono  proof  of  it. 

Finally,  a  last  stroke,  and  a  seemingly  propbetic 
one:  "Will  encounter  great  and  diverse  i)ori!s." 
How  did  Iho  magician  know  this  ?  Probably  by 
means  of  very  vague  conjectures  whicb  might  just 
as  well  never  bavc  been  realized. 

Nevertheless,  given  the  strong  and  positive  char- 
acter of  our  hero,  a  certain  Christian  philosophy 
would  lead  to  the  conclusion  that  Providence 
doubtless  reserved  for  him  trials  in  proportion  to 
his  energy  and  courage.  "  God  tempers  the  wind 
to  the  shorn  lamb"  is  an  old  proverb,  and  one  that 
is  of  some  value,  for  it  reassures  and  consoles  those 
who  do  not  feel  themselve3  sufQciently  Will  armed 
for  the  struggles  of  life. 

But,  on  the  other  hand,  for  a  similar  reason,  to 
the  strong  great  and  hard  trials  !  According  to 
this  our  Alexis  should  expect  to  encounter  combats 
and  tempests. 


CHAPTER  II. 


SOJOUR.V  IS  FRAXCE— ANOTHER  CRUISE— CONVKRSIOX. 


We  know  little  of  Alexis'  sojourn  in  France  from 
October  14,  1845,  to  May  20,  184G,  the  date  of  a 
new  cmbarkiitiou. 

From  the  moment  he  was  with  or  near  liis  family 
his  correspondence  fails  us.  Nevertheless,  we  are 
able  to  relate  almost  in  detail  how  he  filled  up  that 
internal  of  about  seven  months.  Judging  from  its 
results  and  from  his  reminiscence  of  it  in  his  letters 
afterwards,  h  was  not  time  lost  either  with  regard 
to  his  career  or  to  his  progress  towards  a  Christian 
life. 

At  Toulon,  having  finidly  succeeded  in  passing 
his  examination,  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of 
ensign.  Then  he  went  to  Paris,  and  was  not  idle 
there,  as  we  shall  see. 

To  be  an  ensign  at  twenty-six  years  of  age  was 
not  a  bewildering  success,  and,  after  his  experi- 
ence, our  young  officer  could  not  promise  himself  a 
lapid  advancement.  Moreover,  he  still  had  his 
doubts  as  to  whether  he  had  made  the  right  choice 
of  a  career.  We  do  not  know  if  it  was  by  the  ad- 
vice of  his  father  or  of  some  friend  of  the  family 

49 


50 


Alexis  Clerc, 


w 


that  he  determined,  at  all  events,  to  prepare  him- 
self to  enter  on  another  more  in  harmony,  perhaps, 
with  his  antecedents — that  of  public  instruction. 
Certain  it  is  that  he  set  himself  courageously  to 
the  study  of  mathematics,  and  eyen  became  a  pupil 
of  one  of  his  old  companions  of  the  Polytechnic, 
Mr.  Joseph  Bertrand,  then  a  professor  at  the  Col- 
lege St.  Louis.  In  three  months  he  had  obtained 
the  diplomas  of  bachelor  and  licentiate  of  the  ma- 
thematical sciences,  and  was  preparing  for  the  de- 
gree of  doctor,  when  the  prospect  of  a  new  expedi- 
tion re-engaged  him  to  tlie  sea  for  a  long  period. 

But  the  preparation  for  his  examinations  was  far 
froAi  absorbing  him  completely,  and  he  undertook 
at  the  same  time  studies  of  a  very  different  nature, 
and  whicli  were  to  give  to  his  life  quite  another  di- 
rection. 

As  we  have  already  said,  he  was  not  systemati- 
cally an  infidel,  and  the  Voltairianism  of  his  father 
had  never  gained  an  empire  over  him.  Still  less 
had  he  allowed  himself  to  be  carried  away  by  the 
absurd  doctrines  of  Fourier,  who  then  counted 
numerous  disciplas  in  the  Polytechnic  School. 

Wiser  on  this  single  point  than  so  many  others, 
ho  had  made  no  compact  with  error.  But  from 
the  age  of  fourteen,  having  never  entered  a  church, 
he  had  heard  no  mention  of  God,  neither  had  he 
read  anything  of  such  books  as  enlighten  man  rc- 
^.a'ding  his  future  destiny  and  his  eternal  here- 
after. He  had  become  an  absolute  pagan.  He 
needed  to  be  educated  over  again.  He  understood 
this^  and  applied  himself  resolutely  to  the  task. 


Co?iversion. 


51 


It  happened  to  him  as  to  Murceau,  that  grand 
Christian  who,  like  our  young  hero,  was  extremely 
ignorant,  and  impious  to  a  degree  that  was  some- 
what aggressive,  until  the  day  when  the  scales  fell 
from  his  eyes.  Urged  by  I  know  not  what  curi- 
osity, or  rather  obedient  to  a  first  and  mysterious 
impulse  of  grace.  Captain  Marceau  asked  an  eccle- 
siastic of  Toulon*  for  a  book  on  the  Catholic  re- 
hgion,  one  in  which  the  question  was  thoroughly 
discussed.  The  worthy  priest  gave  him  Duvoisin's 
"Demonstration  Evangelique."  Marceau  read  it 
from  beginning  to  end,  at  first  with  a  certain  mis- 
trust and  suspicion,  then  with  passionate  interest, 
while  liglit  penetrated  deeper  and  deeper  into  his 
soul.  And  this,  his  historian  relates,  was  the 
commencement  of  his  remarkable  conversion,  which 
preceded  by  several  years  that  of  Alexis  Clerc. 

Who  was  it  that  ])laced  the  same  book  in  our 
young  sailor's  hands  ?  I  do  not  know  ;  but  what 
1  do  know  is  that  he  read  it  with  the  same  fruit 
as  Marceau,  and  that  later  he  recommended  it  to 
his  friends  as  a  remedy  the  efficaciousness  of 
Avhich  he  had  himself  experienced.  It  is  truly  a 
very  good  book,  written  with  all  the  seriousness 
that  characterized  the  old  French  school.  Born 
towards  tlie  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century, 
Duvoisia  had  been  a  professor  of  the  Sorbonne 
before  the  Revolution.  The  Concordat  made  him 
a  bishop,  and  he  administered  the  diocese  of  Nantes 
wisely;  but,  for  his   misfortune,  in  1811  he   be- 


*  Tho  Abb(5  Gilbert,  vicar  of  St.  Mary's. 


^      - 


52 


Alexis  Clcrc, 


camo  a  member  of  the  ecclesiastical  commission 
presided  over  by  Cardinal  Fescli,  and,  alas !  on 
that  memorable  occasion  he  was  not  heroic.  There 
fell  a  blot  upon  his  name,  but  this  should  in  no- 
wise detract  from  the  value  of  the  remarkable 
apologetic  treatise  of  vhich  he  was  the  author. 
Every  man  desirous  of  instruction  in  that  which 
it  is  sinful  to  be  ignorant  of,  will  find  there,  in  a 
few  pages  written  without  pretension,  but  not 
without  warmth,  though  in  a  style  that  is  always 
moderate  and  discreet,  all  the  elements  of  a  solid 
and  deliberate  conviction. 

"Is  the  Christian  religion  a  revealed  religion? 
This  is  the  state  of  the  question.  It  is  the  ques- 
tion of  a  fact  which  can  only  be  decided  by  facts — 
that  is  to  say,  by  all  the  proofs  that  are  the  most  con- 
vincing, the  most  easily  understood,  and  the  most 
analogous  to  the  principles  and  seniiments  that 
influence  us  in  the  ordinary  course  of  life.  The 
Author  of  Christianity  declared  himself  to  be  the 
envoy  of  God.  His  disciples  affirm  that  he  justi- 
fied his  mission  by  prodigies  evidently  supernatu- 
ral, and  they  oiler  in  proof  of  this  not  only  their 
testimony,  but  also  similar  prodigies  worked  by 
them  in  the  name  of  their  Master.  Did  Jesus 
Christ  and  his  apostles  work  the  miracles  tjut  are 
attributed  to  them  ?  and  have  these  miracles,  with 
respect  to  us,  a  degree  of  certainty  that  does  not 
permit  a  reasonable  man  to  call  them  in  question  ?  " 
("  Demonstration  Evangolique,"  p.  4.   Paris,  1818.) 

This  is,  in  short,  the  whole  question  ;  it  is 
clearly  put,  and,  we  should  add,  conscientiously 


Conversion. 


53 


resolved — so  conscientiously  that  in  reaching  the 
conclusion  of  his  book  the  apologist  may  address 
God  liimself,  and  say  to  him  with  Richard  of  Saint- 
Victor  :  "God  of  truth  !  I  believe  firmly  all  thou 
liast  revealed  to  me  through  Jesus,  thy  Son.  He 
alone  has  the  words  of  el.ernal  life,  and  there  is  no 
other  name  under  heaven  by  which  wc  can  be 
saved.  I  do  not  fear  to  v/ander  in  following  such 
a  guide.  But  if,  to  suppose  an  impossibility,  my 
faith  were  an  error,  it  would  be  thou  who  would 
have  deceived  me  in  permitiing  Christianity  to  bo 
marked  with  characters  whereon  I  recognize  the 
impress  of  thy  omnipotence."  * 

We  have  desired  by  the  foregoing  paragraphs  to 
draw  the  attention  of  the  reader  to  a  book  which 
Alexis  Clerc,  from  his  personal  experience  after- 
wards confirmed  by  more  profound  study,  held  in 
high  esteem. 

Alexis  also  read  the  "  Pcnsues"  of  Pascal,  and  as 
he  was  extremely  sensitive  not  only  to  the  philo- 
sophical range  of  the  ideas  but  still  more  to  the 
beauty  of  the  language,  he  infinitely  enjoyed  the 
illustrious  thinker  who  is  undoubtedly  one  of  our 
greatest  writers.  Whether  he  compares  the  enter- 
prise of  Josus  Christ  with  that  of  Mohammed,  and 
arrives  at  the  conclusion  that  "  since  Mohammed 
succeeded,  Christianity  must  have  perished  if  it  had 
not  been  sustained  by  a  divine  power  " ;  or  whether 
he  says  quite  simply,  but  with  the  authority  of  an 

*  Domino,  si  error  est  queni  credimus,  a  te  decepti  sumus  ; 
quouiam  iis  signis  praedita  est  religio,  quae  nonnisi  a  te  esse 
potuerunt. — Richard  of  Baint  Victor,  quoted  hy  Duvolsia, 
"Ddraonstratiou  Evar.gcliqn  ,"  \ .  CO. 


54 


Alexis  CIcrc. 


immovaLlo  conviction,  that  ho  believes  **  witnesses 
tluit  imperil  their  lives,"  Pascal,  who,  under  dif- 
ferent circumstances,  would  perhaps  have  been  the 
most  powerful  of  apologists,  abounds  in  expres- 
sions that  bear  tlie  stamp  of  genius  and  are  like  so 
many  medals  commemorative  of  the  great,  divine 
events  which  compose  the  entire  history  of  Chris- 
tianity. He  is,  however,  less  exact,  less  to  be  de- 
pended on,  when,  seeming  to  take  pleasure  in 
making  a  complete  rev^^lation  of  the  misery  of 
fallen  man,  he  is  filled  with  indignation  at  the  im- 
mense ruin,  and  undertakes  to  despoil  the  image 
of  God  of  whatever  still  remains  to  recall  its  origin. 
If  human  reason  wore  as  infirm  as  he  pretends,  as 
fatally  prone  to  error,  we  should  bo  forced  to  de- 
spair of  it,  we  should  be  obliged  to  renounce  all 
hope  of  persuading  it  to  accept  the  first  principles 
of  faith.  Therefore,  whatever  else  may  be  said  of 
it,  in  this  part  of  his  sublime  essay  Pascal  is  more 
Janscnist  than  Catholic,  and  the  painful  scepti- 
cism which  so  frequently  breathes  from  his  immor- 
tal pages  is  not  always  unfraught  with  danger.  It 
was  a  remarkable  thing  !  Clerc,  though  the  mer- 
est novice  in  these  matters,  had  a  confused  con- 
sciousness of  this  weak  side  of  an  author  of  genius, 
and  we  shall  see  in  a  letter  to  be  referred  to  pre- 
sently that  he  did  not  regard  the  "Pensees"  as  a 
book  very  well  suited  to  enlighten  a  certain  class 
of  minds. 

I  am  unable  to  say  if  it  was  then  or  afterwards 
that  he  also  read  and  singularly  enjoyed  La  Bru- 
y^rc's  eloquent  chapter  on  "  Les  Esprits  Forts  "  •, 


Cojt 


version. 


55 


and  as  it  wa3  Lis  habit  to  communicate  his  likes 
and  preferences  to  the  fullest  extent  possible,  we 
shall  see  him  sharing  with  his  friends  his  admira- 
tion for  that  remarkable  fragment,  the  apologetic 
value  of  which  is  certainly  nob  to  be  disdained. 

Thus,  from  the  beginning,  guided  solely  by  his 
love  for  the  true  and  the  beautiful,  Alexis  entered 
on  their  own  level  the  society  of  the  great  Chris- 
tian spirits  of  the  seventeenth  century,  and  found 
himself  at  his  ease  with  them  passably  well  for  a 
ciiild  of  the  nineteenth  educated  in  quite  another 
school.  Later  he  did  better  still  :  he  bravely  ap- 
proached St.  Augustine  and  St.  Thomas,  conse- 
crated his  leisure  to  them,,  became  their  disciple, 
and,  when  necessary,  their  interpreter — a  rare  re- 
solution in  a  man  of  his  profession  and  one  who  did 
nothing  from  caprice. 

Nevertheless,  all  was  not  yet  accomplished,  and 
the  conversion  of  the  heart  was  strangely  behind 
that  of  the  intellect.  In  spite  of  the  promises 
which  he  had  made  himself  he  did  not  profit  by 
liis  sojourn  in  Paris  to  obey  the  voice  that  said  to 
him  as  to  the  poor  leper :  '*  Ostcndo  te  saccrdotL" 
If  he  saw  the  pi'iests  it  was  afar  off. 

At  that  time  there  were  in  Paris  illustrious 
priests — later  he  would  know  them  better — whose 
eloquence  filled  the  nave  of  Notre  Dame  with  an 
immense  auditory,  young  and  eager  for  good.  In 
descending  from  the  pulpit  at  the  close  of  the 
Lent  of  1845,  Father  de  Ravignan  had  said  :  "  Rise 
up,  then,  young  men,  in  the  midst  of  a  sick  socie- 
ty, and  proclaim  to  it  your  strength  and  your  hap- 


56 


Alexis  Clerc. 


pincss  ;  let  it  meet  yon,  let  it  sec  yon  wherever  evil 
needs  a  remedy  or  the  good  consolation  and.  sup- 
port. Display  the  courage  of  Catholic  convictions 
in  the  most  advanced  posts  of  the  struggle,  in  the 
combat  of  science,  of  philosophy,  of  letters,  of  in- 
dustry, of  arts,  and  of  liberty.  Let  the  loud  voice 
of  Christianity  resound  in  that  chaotic  confusion 
of  opinions  and  doctrines.  Tell  the  multitudes 
that  you  desire,  that  we  desire,  the  glory  and  pros- 
perity of  the  country,  the  development  of  its  insti- 
tutions, the  free  range  of  genius  and  of  great 
thoughts.  Feel  yourselves  to  be  placed  very  high, 
and  teach  those  who  are  ignorant  your  language 
and  your  faith;  re-ostablisli  by  Christian  conscience 
the  empire  of  justice,  of  truth,  and  of  a  holy  in- 
dependence. Be  assured  of  it,  you  have  received 
more  power  and  perpetuity  than  all  the  exhausted 
experimenters  in  human  theories." 

Such  vras  the  keynote  at  that  date,  and  the 
grave  and  austere  voice  of  Father  de  Ravignan  did 
not  sound  it  with  the  same  vibrations  as  did  Fa- 
ther Lacordaire's,  whicli  was  more  in  sympathy 
with  youth.  What  years  were  those,  and  what 
men  !  In  the  Chamber  of  Peers  Montalembert 
was  daily  at  the  breach,  the  indefatigable  champion 
of  every  great  Catholic  cause.  The  struggle  con- 
tinued for  two  years  ;  and  if,  on  one  side,  we  were 
saddened  by  a  revival  of  impiety  which  showed 
itself  in  the  periodical  press,  and  even  in  the  chairs 
of  higher  instruction,  we  took  courage  when  we 
saw  the  entire  episcopate  guiding  to  the  battles  of 
the  holy  war  the  generous  sons  of  the  Crusaders. 


Conversion. 


57 


Tlie  Sociei^y  of  Jesus  was  proscribed ;  it  had  to 
hide  itself  and  play  dead  to  humor  the  timidity  of 
the  powers  that  were  ;  but  it  had  just  affirmed  its 
existence  as  it  never  had  before  since  the  begin- 
ning of  the  century,  in  the  eloquent  plea  of  Father 
de  Ravignan entitled  "De  I'Existenceet  de  I'lnsti- 
tut  des  Jesuitcs."  The  liberty  which  Father  do  Ha- 
yiguan  claimed  in  the  name  of  common  law,  Father 
Lacordairo  had  taken  shortly  before.  He  had 
mounted  the  pulpit  of  Notre  Dame  clothed  in  the 
white  robe  of  the  Dominicans,  and  none  had  dared 
ask  him  by  what  right  he  wore  the  habit  of  his 
order. 

All  France  had  its  eyes  fixed  upon  those  two 
illustrious  religious,  who,  in  the  full  zenith  of  the 
most  exalted  fame,  were  rivals  only  in  eloquence, 
apostolic  zeal,  and  fraternal  charity.  After  the 
appearance  of  Father  de  Ravignan's  beautiful  book. 
Father  Lacordaire,  at  a  solemn  sitting  of  the  Cerch 
Catlioliqnef  presided  over  by  the  Archbishop  of 
Paris,  cried  out  :  "  If  we  were  in  England  I  should 
propose  three  cheers  for  Father  de  Ravignan." 
These  words  were  followed  by  unanimous  applause 
three  times  repeated.* 

Can  it  be  supposed  that  Clerc,  who  returned  to 
France  with  the  intention  of  professing  Christian- 
ity, remained  unmoved  by  those  grand  spectacles  ? 
Should  I  be  told  so  I  would  not  believe  it,  so  con- 
trary would  such  indifference  be  to  what  I  know 


If 


♦"Life  cf  Father  de  Ravignan,"  by  Father  do  Ponlevoy, 
vol.  i.  p.  889. 


S8 


Alexis  Clcrc. 


of  his  character.  Novcrtheless,  whatever  were  his 
Bcntiments,  ho  did  not  then  take  the  decisive  step. 
Even  worse:  finding  himself  again  in  the  midst 
of  the  same  temptations  to  which  he  had  yielded  so 
many  times  before,  he  experienced  the  same  weak- 
ness as  in  the  past,  and  felt  further  than  ever  dis- 
tant from  the  goal  towards  which  tended,  not- 
withstanding, all  the  convictions  of  his  Christian- 
ized reason. 

I  find  the  avowal  of  this  in  some  manuscript 
notes  that  bear  the  date  of  a  long  retreat  made  at 
Saint-Acheul  after  his  entrance  in  the  Society  of 
Jesus. 

Permit  me  to  raise  this  veil.  Let  it  bo  well  un- 
derstood that  it  is  with  all  the  respect  due  to  his 
venerated  memory  and  to  his  glorious  death,  but 
with  the  sincerity  which  he  would  have  practised 
himself  if,  a  new  Augustine,  ho  had  left  us  the 
book  of  his  "  Confessions."  Ah  !  well.  Yes,  I 
believe  the  accusatory  notes  of  his  retreat  at  Saint- 
Acheul,  and  I  am  not  afraid  to  divulire  here  the 
wanderings  of  his  youth,  which  were  to  be  trans- 
formed into  the  triumph  of  infinite  mercy.  Like 
so  many  other  children  of  the  world,  in  that  in- 
fected atmosphere  of  Paris  he  had  early  made  ac- 
quaintance with  evil,  and  he  had  no  horror  of  it. 
The  educational  houses  which  he  entered,  endowed 
with  a  dangerous  precocity,  were  poor  protectors 
of  his  innocence,  and  he  lent  a  willing  ear  to  the 
voice  of  his  passions.  Once — probably  to  exempt 
himself  from  all  religious  practices — he  had  the 
sad  courage  to  call  himself  a  Protestant ;  and  if  he 


Conversion. 


59 


then  imposed  upon  himself  some  sort  of  restraint,  it 
was  not  virtue,  for  in  reference  to  it  he  names  him- 
self a  luliitcd  sepulchre.  But  dissimulation  was 
loo  repugnant  to  his  nature ;  he  soon  threw  off 
the  bridle  and  would  not  appear  other  than  he 
was.  The  Polytechnic  School,  Brest,  the  Marque- 
sas Islands,  Valparaiso,  and  finally  Paris  whither 
ho  returned  after  having  received  the  first  impres- 
sions of  grace — each  of  these  names  excites  his 
remorse  by  bringing  to  his  memory  tha  excesses 
and  the  scandals  of  his  youth. 

St.  Augustine,  who  knew  something  of  such 
matters,  eloquently  describes  to  us  that  state  of 
struggle  wherein,  the  reason  being  convinced  and 
three-quarters  submissive,  the  heart  still  hesitates 
and  has  not  the  courage  to  break  the  bonds  which 
hold  it  captive  under  the  yoke  of  the  senses.*  His 
evil  and  frivolous  inclinations  emulated  one  an- 
other in  pulling  him  by  the  garment  of  his  flesh 
and  murmuring  in  his  ear:  "What!  thou  wilt 
quit  us  ?  Then  all  is  over,  and  the  separation  will 
be  eternal.  Then  the  time  has  come  when  thou 
shalt  never  again  enjoy  thy  liberty." 

This  was  the  state  of  Alexis*  soul  on  his  return 
to  Paris  after  his  cruise  in  the  Southern  seas,  and 
this  was  the  reason  why  he,  who  already  believed 
and  desired  to  practise,  could  be  present  at  those 
grand  manifestations  of  Catholic  faith  which 
aroused  the  heaviest  sleepers,  and  take  no  part  in 
them  save  by  his  regrets  joined  to  the  sentiment  of 


♦  "  Confessions,"  b.  viii.  e.  xi, 


6o 


A /ex  IS  a  ere. 


his  nnwortliiness.  So  true  it  is  that  strength  of 
character  is  not  everything,  and  that  souls  of  the 
most  tempered  metal  succumb  just  where  the  little 
and  the  weak  gain  the  victory  with  the  grace  of 
God. 

During  the  month  of  May  wo  find  Alexis  again 
at  Toulon,  in  active  service  and  getting  ready  for  a 
new  voyage.  His  correspondence,  interrupted  by 
his  stay  in  Paris,  reopens  and  gives  ns  light  re- 
garding his  interior  at  a  period  that  v/as  very  near 
his  conversion. 

"  My  dear  father,"  he  writes  on  Sunday,  the 
30th  of  May,  "  I  sail  to-morrow,  Monday,  on  board 
the  steam  corvette  Caiman  for  the  station  of  Sene- 
gal. I  received  my  orders  only  AVednssduy.  The 
preparations  for  so  sudden  a  departure,  and,  still 
more,  the  certainty  that  I  could  receive  no  reply  to 
my  letter,  have  caused  me  to  put  off  writing  until 
to-day.  I  would  have  been  very  glad  to  have  heard 
from  Paris,  especially  about  the  subject  of  the  last 
letter  I  sent  you  ;  and  as  T  hoped  from  day  to  day  to 
receive  your  reply,  I  have  delayed  until  the  last  day 
the  last  words  Tvhich  I  cttn  write  to  you  in  France. 
This  expedition,  which  I  did  not  in  the  least  ex- 
pect, has  been  avoided  as  far  as  possible  by  every- 
body ;  hence,  as  a  matter  of  course,  it  falls  to  my 
lot.  I  regret  that  I  am  not  to  embark  at  least  in 
a  ship.  But  the  worst  of  all  is  that  I  am  again  to 
go  a  long  distance,  and  be  absent,  perhaps,  a  long 
time.  I  count  on  a  cruise  of  at  least  a  year's  dura- 
tion ;  but  it  is  impossible  to  foresee  anything  now. 
Notwithstanding  all   the   inconveniences  of    this 


Conversion. 


6i 


voyage,  I  believe  I  have  rebigned  myself  to  it  pliilo- 
Bophically  enougli.  I  am  fully  convinced  that  no- 
body jiossessos  sufficient  sagacity  to  look  into  the 
future  and  so  far  aliead.  Meanwhile,  I  can  only 
say  that  I  am  hopeful.  I  expect  quiet  and  iicuco 
on  shipboard,  and  that  is  all.  That  being  secured,  I 
shall  have,  I  hope,  something  to  fill  the  time  during 
the  cruise." 

He  carried  books  with  him  as  usual,  but  his  li- 
brary was  now  renewed,  and  religious  works  filled 
a  large  place  in  it.  He  knew  not  whither  God  was 
leading  him  ;  by  an  instinctive  presentiment  he 
tried  to  hide  away  from  the  lash  that  was  soon  to 
cut  hiin  to  the  quick. 

Another  letter,  commenced  at  sea  June  22,  and 
finished  the  27tli  outside  the  bar  of  Scnesral  : 

*'  We  have,  my  dear  father,  this  morning,  June 
22,  passed  the  Canary  Ishmds  without  touching  at 
them,  and  to-morrow  we  shall  have  the  sun  in  the 
north.  Madame  Pages  will  probably  before  you 
receive  this  have  communicated  to  you  the  con- 
tents of  a  letter  I  sent  from  Cadiz,  so  I  need 
only  give  you  my  news  since  that  date.  You  al- 
ready know  from  Madame  Pages'  letter  that  before 
going  to  Cadiz  wc  landed  the  consul  of  Mogadore 
at  Tangier.  Wc  were  to  return  for  him  after  he 
should  have  conferred  with  the  consul-general  of 
France,  and  take  him  to  his  destination.  We  left 
Cadiz  on  the  13th,  but  we  met  at  the  entrance  of 
the  straits  an  extremely  violent  easterly  wind,  and 
the  commander  judged  it  prudent  to  return  to 
Cadiz.     That  same  evening  v/o  were  anchored  op- 


62 


A /ex  is  Chrc. 


posito  the  city.  The  next  day,  Sunday,  the  14th, 
I  was  on  watch,  and  had  just  succeeded  in  consol- 
ing myself  for  being  denied  the  pleasure  of  going 
ashoro.  There  was  something  on  shore  worth 
going  to  see:  there  was  a  bull-fight  in  Cadiz. 
But,  behold  !  the  commander  advises  me  to  go, 
and  offers  to  take  my  place  on  the  watch.  I,  not 
proud  at  all,  accept.  Therefore,  behold  again,  I 
am  at  the  show  !  It  is  decidedly  a  realization  of 
the  absurd,  the  impossible.  Where  were  ever  seen, 
even  in  fairy  tales,  commanders  keeping  guard  for 
their  officers  so  as  to  let  them  go  to  bull-fights  ? 
It  is  an  absurdity  and  an  impossibility  I " 

He  was  a  witness,  then,  of  that  bloody  spectacle, 
that  butchery,  the  preparations  for  which  inspired 
him  with  only  an  insurmountable  disgust.  But 
soon  he  was  astonished  to  find  himself  captivated 
by  curiosity,  by  dramatic  emotion,  and  finally 
seized  upon  by  the  species  of  frenzy  that  carried 
away  the  entire  assemblage. 

**  At  sight  of  the  first  two  horses  horribly  man- 
gled, I  was  bathed  with  perspiration  and  my  heart 
swelled  in  my  breast ;  I  would  much  rather  have 
been  at  my  post  on  the  vessel.  Yet,  notwithstand- 
ing, I  remained  until  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening.  I 
saw  eight  bulls  killed,  ten  horses  disembowelled,  and 
two  picadors  carried  away  half  dead.  If  the  com- 
bat had  lasted  twenty-four  hours,  I  believe  I  would 
have  stayed  without  food  or  drink.  Finally — can 
you  credit  it  ? — at  only  the  second  bull  I  applauded 
the  dexterous  onsets  both  of  the  beast  and  of  the 
men,  I  hooted  at  the  awkward  ones,  and  I  called 


Conversion, 


63 


for  the  dogs  Tvlien  llie  bull  seemed  to  me  too  quiet. 
I  said  to  myself :  *  The  horses  are  but  worthless 
jades,  which  are  brought  to  the  circus  to  save  t!»o 
trouble  of  taking  them  to  the  slaughter-pens  ;  as 
to  the  picadors,  they  arc  of  about  as  much  value  as 
their  steeds.*  How  well  I  understand  now  the 
prowess  of  the  gladiators  I  How  glorious  it  must 
have  been  to  transport  a  whole  people  with  admi- 
ration for  one's  skill,  strength,  and  courage  !  What 
an  intoxication  of  joy  must  have  been  such  a  vic- 
tory and  such  applause  in  the  full  light  of  day  ! 
There  was  an  unlucky  matadore ;  in  his  place  I 
would  have  let  the  bull  kill  me,  or  I  would  have 
killed  him  with  a  single  blow. 

"  Ah !  how  much  cruelty  and  folly  are  hidden 
and  dormant  in  our  hearts.  Could  I  ever  have 
believed  that  I  would  have  felt  and  thoLi^htas  I 
did  at  a  bull-fight  ?  Imagine,  then,  that  you  know 
yourself  only  until  some  similar  test  proves  to  you 
quite  the  contrary  ! 

"  Yet,  in  spite  of  the  disagreeable  revelation,  I 
would  return  directly  to  see  bulls  killed,  horses 
torn  to  pieces,  and  picadors  bruised  and  crushed, 
or  I  would  give  a  good  deal  not  to  have  had  a  first 
glimpse  of  such  spectacles." 

At  Tangier  Clerc  spent  an  evening  with  the 
French  consul,  who  had  invited  for  the  occasion 
all  his  European  colleagues.  Our  young  officer 
danced,  waltzed,  and  abandoned  himself  to  a  frank 
gayety,  while  at  the  same  time  carefully  observing 
from  the  corner  of  his  eye  the  cosmopolitan  socie'y, 
and  making  aside  to  himself  piquant  reflections  on 


64 


Alexis  Clerc, 


the  harmony  that  existed  among  the  representa- 
tives of  the  diHerent  nations,  thanks  to  the  neces- 
sity of  agreeing  together  if  they  did  not  want  to 
live  like  oiuls. 

Here  U  a  shaft  which  he  cannot  refrain  from 
lancing  as  he  leaves  Tangier  :  "  We  have  shown 
this  most  amiable  Emperor  of  Morocco  the  civility 
of  transporting  to  Mogadore  half  a  dozen  little 
negroes,  slaves  and  eunuchs  destined  for  his 
harem,  and  we  are  going  to  Senegal  to  put  down 
the  slave-trade  !  But,  according  to  report,  it  is 
forbidden  to  capture,  or  even  to  see,  a  slave-ship. 
The  result  will  enable  me  to  affirm  or  deny  the 
truth  of  this  singular  mission.  I  think  that  Mr. 
Billault's  hubbub  about  his  right  of  search  is  the 
cause  of  the  presence  of  twenty-six  Government 
vessels  at  this  frightful  station.  If  they  occasion- 
ally sent  all  such  spouters  on  a  little  hard  service, 
I  believe  it  would  have  a  good  effect.  However,  we 
must  wait  to  see  before  we  can  be  quite  sure." 

He  did  well  not  to  decide  about  the  matter  pre- 
maturely. Some  days  later  than  the  date  of  his 
writing,  the  Caiman^  having  encountered  a  slave- 
ship,  performed  its  duty  conscientiously.  As  to 
his  bad  humor  about  Mr.  Billault  and  the  negro- 
loving  orators,  obstinate  as  they  were  regarding  the 
right  of  search  which  they  talked  about  quite  at 
their  ease,  it  was  very  general  among  seamen,  and 
other  persons  who  thought  they  knew,  to  suspect 
English  philanthropy  of  not  being  disinterested  in 
claiming  a  right  that  was  extremely  onerous  to  the 
authorities  of  the  French  navy. 


Conversion. 


6s 


On  llic  Toyago  lie  sketches  the  portraits  of  the 
sliip's  officers,  whom  generally  he  seems  to  like. 
The  commander,  Captain  Rousse,  is  a  Provencal 
already  on  the  down-hill  hide  of  life  and  regretting 
a  little  the  fig-trees  and  the  olive-groves  of  his 
country-seat,  but  good,  indulgent  towards  his  in- 
feriors, and  Yciy  kindly  disposed  towards  Ensign 
Clerc,  to  whom  he  teaches  his  profession.  "  Yes- 
terday evening  he  held  a  long  conversation  with  me 
and  pointed  out  the  best  and  worthiest  means  of  pre- 
ferment— that  is  to  gay,  gave  me  a  summary  of  all 
that  it  is  useful  to  know,  indicated  the  methods  of 
studying  and  of  profitably  employing  the  know- 
ledge gained.  This  showed  experience  and  kind- 
heartedness.  Thus  you  see,  my  dear  father,  I 
have  fallen  into  good  hands.  It  is  true  he  makes 
profession  of  a  very  prosaic  positivism  ;  but "  (Clerc 
adds  wisely)  "  as  he  w^as  led  to  this  by  the  excesses 
of  contrary  sentiments,  and  as  he  is  now  a  very 
good  man,  I  congratulate  myself  upon  having  him 
for  a  master.  The  second  in  rank  is  Mr.  Esman- 
gard,  the  lieutenant,  a  man  pleasing  in  his  person 
and  disposition.  From  the  very  first  we  im- 
pressed one  another  favorably,  and  if  the  devil 
does  not  interfere  1  shall  one  day  have  a  friend  in 
him." 

And  true  enough,  they  became  friends.  If  I  am 
correctly  informed,  this  young  officer  proclaimed 
himself  as  belonging  to  the  school  of  Fourier, 
which  then  counted  many  members,  as  was  evi- 
dent in  1848.  Clerc's  conversion,  which  Esman- 
gard  was  a  witness  of,   left   their    affection  the 


,:? 


C6 


Alexis  CI  ere. 


m 


same  witlionfc  bringing  them  nearer  to  one  another 
in  their  religious  belicfa. 

Meanwliilc  Alexis  did  not  lose  his  time  ;  he  re- 
flected, he  studied,  sometimes  mathematics,  some- 
times political  economy,  and  oftener  still  religion  ; 
it  was  plain  that  the  last  was  in  reality  his  chief 
business. 

One  day  he  wrote  to  his  brother  Jules  these  singu- 
lar lines  ;  the  embarrassment  visible  in  them  betrays 
the  thought  which  possessed  him  and  ruled  him 
in  spite  of  himself  :  "  I  have  been  twisting  my  pen 
in  my  fingers  a  quarter  of  an  hour  without  daring 
to  write  a  word.  In  fact,  it's  a  great  bore  to  talk 
always  about  one's  self.  I  declare  that  if  you  do 
not  send  me  back  change  (and  with  interest,  too) 
for  my  gold  piece,  it's  finished — I  will  write  to  you 
no  more.  This  condition  laid  down,  I  now  con- 
tinue. The  little  time  that  is  left  from  play, 
sleep,  or  work,  I  read  J.  B.  Say  and  the  *His- 
toire  des  Variations.'  They  form  a  striking 
enough  contrast ;  the  one  is  occupied  with  only 
material  goods,  and  never  imagines  that  there  are 
any  others,  and  the  other  pays  not  the  slightest  at- 
tention to  aught  that  is  not  spiritual.  But  there 
arc  books  that  one  must  be  acquainted  with  ;  the 
only  way  to  do  is  to  pick  out  what  is  good  in  them 
and  leave  the  rest.  Then,  besides,  our  profession 
obliges  us  to  learn  from  books  what  you  civilians 
learn  in  spite  of  yourselves.  We  must  know  what 
views  to  hold  on  the  questions  of  customs,  com- 
merce, manufactures,  colonization,  commercial 
treaties.     AVe  may  have  to  meddle  in  such  matters, 


Conversion, 


67 


and  then  it  would  be  too  late  to  begin  to  study 
tbem  \\\}  ;  bence  the  mixture  in  wbicb  I  have  been 
stirring  recently.  It  is  now  past  midnight,  and 
past  my  watch  also.  Good-night.  I  am  going  to 
take  Bossuet ;  be  has  the  privilege  of  keeping  me 
company  until  I  fall  asleep." 

Again  taking  bis  pen,  he  adds  :  "I  make  all 
sorts  of  efforts  to  become  wiser  and  more  reli- 
gions; but  it  is  difficult,  and  my  stay  in  Paris 
helped  to  increase  the  obstacles.  I  hope  that  you 
are  on  the  same  road,  and  I  do  not  doubt  that  you 
travel  it  more  rapidly  than  I.  I  recommend  to 
you  Bossuet's  'Meditations'  and  'Elevations'; 
they  are  two  excellent  books." 

The  two  brothers  had  derived  from  the 
same  sources  the  germ  of  religious  indifference. 
But  grace  acted  on  their  hearts  simultaneously, 
and  the  hour  approached  when  the  joy  felt  by  each 
on  returning  to  God  would  bo  doubled  by  the  re- 
turn and  the  complete  reconciliation  of  a  well- 
beloved  brother. 

Shortly  before  arriving  at  Gabon  Alexis  wrote 
again  to  his  father ;  we  must  read  between  the 
lines  of  this  letter  to  guess  what  was  passing  in  his 
soul. 

"  Mr  Dear  Father  :  TVe  met  this  morning  a 
poor  devil  of  a  slave-trader.  We  were  sailing 
quietly  towards  Gabon.  We  kindled  the  fires,  and 
an  hour  later  the  vessel  received  one  of  our  boats.  * 


'■v:f| 


*  The  slaver  was,  therefore,  captured,  and  the  commander 
of  the  Caiman  fulfilled  his  duty  by  preventing  the  transpor- 
tation of  the  poor  victims  of  the  traffic. 


68 


Alexis  CI  ere. 


The  prize  is  about  starting  off  again,  and  I  shall 
confide  this  letter  to  it. 

"You  know  very  well,  dear  father,  that  it  is 
only  in  romances  that  sailors  lead  an  adventurous 
life.  In  reality,  nothing  is  so  uniform,  so  regular; 
it  is  almost  a  monastic  life,  and  truly  I  have  abso- 
lutely nothing  to  tell  you,  for  there  has  nothing 
happened  but  the  weather.  But  one  may  talk 
without  saying  anything.  "Well,  then,  I  am  in 
very  good  health  ;  I  am  not  tired,  and  I  no  longer 
feel  that  terrible  need  of  Paris  which  tormented 
me  so  much  hardly  a  year  ago.  This  does  not  pre- 
vent me  from  desiring  and  regretting  it,  but  it  is 
not  a  suffering. 

"I  am  always  as  comfortable  as  possible  on  this 
ship,  yet,  nevertheless,  I  want  to  leave  it  to  go  with 
Esmangard  on  a  sailing  vessel. 

"The  departure  of  the  officer  who  commands 
our  capture  of  this  morning  leaves  me,  after  the 
lieutenant,  the  oldest  officer  on  board,  so  that  the 
next  capture  could,  if  I  wished,  put  me  off  and 
consequently  bring  me  back  to  France.  What  do 
you  think  of  it  ?  But  wo  should  not  sell  the  bear's 
skin.  .  .  . 

"I  hope  to  find  letters  at  Gabon,  where  we  shall 
be  in  a  few  days.  As  yet  I  have  received  none.  In 
Paris  they  know  not  the  good  letters  do  a  poor 
exile.     You — you  are  not  separated  ! 

"  Do  you  not  think  there  was  a  sort  of  fatality  in 
my  embracing  this  mode  of  life  ?  I  am  not  com- 
plaining of  it,  I  am  almost  as  happy  as  possible  ; 
but  it  seems  to  me  that  there  was  something  for- 


Convcrsio7i. 


69 


las 
the 
the 
md 
do 
ir's 


eign  to  my  will  which  urged  me  five  years  ago  to 
decide  for  the  sea.  Five  years !  I  have  had  to 
count  it  over  several  times.  Yes,  it  is  five  years 
since  I  left  you ;  five  years  I  I  am  twenty-seven 
now.  How  quickly  time  passes  even  when  one  is 
unhappy  !  But  past  sorrow  is  a  present  joy  ;  it  is 
sweet  to  remember  it. 

"  I  am  exerting  all  my  efforts  to  become  wise, 
my  dear  father — that  is  to  say,  religious,  for  there 
is  no  happiness  outside  of  religion.  I  have  great 
need  of  counsel ;  I  am  entirely  deprived  of  it ;  I 
should  find  such  excellent  in  France. 

"  I  charge  you,  dear  father,  to  embrace  Jules 
for  me — Jules,  that  good  and  honest  man  ;  tell 
him,  without  wounding  his  modesty,  that  I  do  not 
know  where  to  find  a  heart  as  intelligent  and  as 
devoted  as  his.  .     . 


*' Farewell,  dear  father.  I  embrace  you  with  all 
my  heart ;  take  care  of  yourself.  If  I  only  might 
wish  you  a  rest !  But  you  consider  your  work  as 
a  duty.  We  understand  you,  but  we  would  rather 
htive  you  live  for  yourself  a  little  towards  the  end. 
Farewell,  dear  father  ! " 

At  last  he  saw  Gabon,  that  new  sort  of  a  pro- 
mised land,  an  arid  and  mountainous  coast 
just  on  the  equator.  There,  however,  milk  and 
honey  flowed  for  him  ;  there  he  tasted  the  joy  of 
feeling  himself  at  peace  with  God  and  with  his  own 
conscience,  and  when  he  quitted  the  African  shore 
to  return  to  Fj'ancc  he  had  commenced  a  new  life. 


;o 


Alexis  Clcrc. 


t 


Wo  have  before  us  a  letter  to  liis  brother,  dated 
Wydah,  January  25,  1847  :  **  A  missionary  wlio 
took  passage  on  the  Caiman  at  Goree  tells  us  that 
Wydah  is  a  city  of  the  powerful  kingdom  of 
Dahomey.  The  king  of  this  country  is  cele- 
brated in  Guinea  for  his  palace  with  its  walls 
ornamented  with  human  bones,  and  for  his  famous 
noble-guard  composed  of  women  armed  cajy-d-pie 
and  possessed  of  invincible  courage."  "' 

In  this  letter,  filled  with  warm  expressions  of  af- 
fection, there  is  manifest  the  joy  of  the  prodigal  son 
restored  to  his  father's  favor.  Alexis  had  just 
learned  through  friends  who  had  written  to  him 
from  Paris  that  his  brother,  touched  like  himself 
by  grace,  now  fulfilled  all  the  duties  of  a  fervent 
Christian.  lie  offers  him  the  hearty  congratu- 
lations of  a  man  who  knows  the  value  of  a  sincere 
conversion  and  is  on  the  way  to  an  experience  of 
it :  "  How  far  this  kingdom  is  from  that  of  the 
world  !  how  it  superabounds  in  goodness  !  how 
firm  are  its  foundations  !  It  has  not  been  given 
me  to  witness  your  happiness,  to  associate  myself 
with  it ;  this  joy  is  perhaps  reserved  for  us;  we  will 
both  pray  for  it." 

Then,  thinking  of  the  innocence  of  his  early 
childhood,  guarded  by  a  good  and  pious  mother,  it 
no  longer  appears  to  him  as  a  reproach,  but  rathei? 
as  a  motive  for  hojiing  a  great  deal.     What  could 


*  Latter  of  Father  Briot,  missionai-y  apostolic  of  the  Con- 
gregation of  i  he  Holy  Heart  of  Mary,  to  Father  Libermann, 
superior  of  the  same  congregation  ("Annals  of  the  Propaga- 
tion of  the  Faith,"  vol.  xx.  p.  334). 


Conversion. 


71 


there  be  more  toue]iin-r  (-.„„  „  . 
"t  'he  moment  when  ^e  IZ  "'  "^  "^  '>'«  ''^•'''•t 
fff'in  toUiih  and  vir  ue  <  V""'"^  l>ein.?  born 
'e  Joi»  a  poor,  bolv  1  '  ,  """''  "^°"'   seek 

certainly  with  all  l^er  mHit  "  """'  "'  ■""=' 

All  his  views  of  lifo      ^    i 
^y  'he  sight  of  tl,e  eternUvT^  f  ?''  cmbeHi^bcd 
""d  ho  does  not  tiro  o7  ,?  ^-        '''"''"  '"=  "^P^ws. 

"H°>v  happy  I  ;,„f,"  '  J'  ;°  ^°  K'-«at  a  happiness! 
""^self  with    you    onlL      ^'"'™'"'^'''°fin'J 
change  there  w^l  beTn  n         '"  '      ■*^''""  »  ''»PPy 
""fortunate  ha     1  eu  ZT^f^'^'^^"    How' 
wucl,  wore  unfortunate  o     ,r""^"''"°'   ""'^  ^^"^ 

W.at  a  clemency  it  LL?,,'"^'°"f  ^^"m  a">iable  I 
pWJe  and  corrupUo  "1, '"  '""«  ^'"''"•ed  this 
in  all  (his  !  >'      ^       '    ""'"  ''«^^7  is  my  account 

Tlie  Christian  Tirhmc  -...i  •  . 
'•"  tho  same  timr  taken""' ''''<=™' '"'-^' «" 
'■"■«ih-ty,  mistru    'of  i\  T'"'-:'?  ''  '"'^  ^0">  = 
""tlmrity  of  the  ChurcT  '      '  '"''''^  w^'ectfor  the 
'-■«.  «»<J  a  salutayS;  rr"^''''  %  her  minis- 

''"fi"g  teomuchtohL:'/^  "'"'  "'""«"'' 

He  wntes  on  tiie  1st  of  T?," 
■•^gret  not  being  i„  pj °  ^f  ™^'y ;  "  I  very  much 

of  advice.  My  life_/tV  „  ''"?  ""=  «'•«■''*  '  need 
l-'o^forth  to'fo.,:w'  ;";';^:5""'  ^e-o-ought 
tfacod  out  the  route  Vnn  ■"'  ^  ''^^e  not  yet 
-d  onh-ghtened  ::„  won  dlTl""  "'"'  "^  ^'°- 
"s  a  Christian,  of  thoiZhJ,  >  !'  "'  "  '"'"^  ''"■J 
'    ^-^"^  highest  advantage.     Solitude 


i"'y 


iM 


.  i 


72 


Alexis  Clerc, 


may  be  profitable,  but  it  may  also  be  dangerous, 
and  with  my  Latin  Bible — which  I  perhaps  misun- 
(lorstand  oftener  tlian  I  am  aware  of — for  my  only 
conversation,  I  am  exposed  to  many  perils.  I 
have  continual  fears  and  doubts,  and,  to  say  noth- 
ing of  the  thousand  doctrinal  errors  into  which  I 
may  fall  daily  without  knowing  it,  I  dare  not  im- 
pose upon  myself  certain  obligations  which  might 
be  useless  or  hurtful,  and  I  am  afraid  not  to  im- 
pose them. 

**St.  Paul  says  wo  must  be  contented  with  the 
measure  of  grace  granted  to  each  one  of  us.  I 
never  know  whether  through  a  guilty  ambition  I 
desire  to  go  beyond  that,  or  whether  through  sloth 
I  remain  behind  it. 

'*  It  may  be  that  in  a  position  so  different  from 
mine  you  will  not  understand  these  anxieties,  and 
if  so  I  congratulate  you.  I  cannot  help  imagining 
that  you  enjoy  the  peace  promised  to  men  of  good 
will.  Still,  I  think  this  is  not  Avithout  some  p.4ss- 
ing  troubles.  But  I  am  happy  when  my  thoughts 
rest  upon  you  ;  it  seems  to  me  then  that  it  is  a  re- 
flection of  your  happiness  which  reaches  me." 

The  change  was  complete  and  without  relapse. 
How  was  it  brought  about  ?  We  were  ignorant 
until  quite  recently,  when  we  met  a  worthy  witness 
of  this  great  and  consoling  conversion.  A  spiritual 
son  of  the  Rev.  Father  Libermann,  a  missionary  of 
the  Congregation  of  the  Holy  Heart  of  Mary,  re- 
turned from  Gabon,  it  appears  as  if  expressly,  to 
impart  to  us  what  we  so  greatly  desired  to  know  ; 
having  now  gone  back  to  his  dear  mission,  he  con- 


Conversion. 


71 


hsc. 
[ant 
less 
tual 
of 
re- 
I,  to 
)w; 
ton- 


tinucs  to  evangelize  the  poor  negroes  of  the  African 
coast. 

"0  unhappy  Guinea!"  cried  the  venerated 
Father  Libermanu,  "  it  scorns  to  me  that  you  arc 
filling  up  my  heart.  The  misfortunes  of  those 
poor  souls  oppress  and  overwhelm  me."  In  the 
month  of  September,  1843,  he  had  sent  to  Guinea 
seven  missionaries,  who  landed  at  Cape  Pal  mas  on 
the  29th  of  the  following  Kovembcr.  Three  of 
this  number  were  soon  carried  off  by  fever  or  apo- 
plexy, and  the  rest  were  dispersed  by  the  fury  of 
the  negroes.  It  was  to  fill  up  those  vacancies,  or 
rather  to  commence  anew  so  difficult  an  enterprise, 
that  the  Fathers  Briot  de  la  Mallerio  and  Leberro 
went  on  board  the  Caiman  in  the  bay  of  Goree. 
Father  Leberro,  who  alone  has  survived,  and  whom 
I  saw  during  his  stay  in  Paris,  remembers  very 
well  Commander  Rousse  and  his  lieutenant,  Mr. 
Esmangard,  the  intimate  friend  of  Eusign  Clerc. 
Esmangard  was  a  Fouricrite,  and  the  other  officers 
made  profession  of  indifference  or  else  of  incre- 
dulity. After  being  some  days  at  sea  they  began 
to  argue  with  the  missionaries.  One  of  these,  Fa- 
ther Briot  de  la  Mallerie,  had  been  in  the  navy, 
and  this,  added  to  his  strong  character,  gave  him 
some  chance  of  being  listened  to.  None  lent  a 
more  attentive  and  more  sympathetic  ear  to  his 
discourse  than  the  ensign,  Alexis  Clerc,  who  was 
always  ready  to  respect  convictions.  One  day, 
having  himself  engaged  in  the  discussion,  he  sud- 
denly braved  his  comrade  Esmangard,  and  on  the 
deck  of  the  vessel,  in  presence  of  the  entire  staff 


74 


A  lev  is  CliTc, 


of  officers  and  all  the  passengers,  he  made  Tvitli  a 
certain  solemnity  the  following  declaration  :  "  Af- 
ter all,  gentlemen,  the  principles  which  a  Christian 
mother  has  instilled  in  the  heart  of  her  child  are 
the  ones  which  remain  most  deeply  engraven  there, 
and  are  also  the  ones  which  arc  the  best." 

"From  that  moment,"  continned  the  Rev.  Fa- 
ther Laberre,  "he  seemed  to  enter  on  the  true 
road  of  conversion.  lie  asked  Father  Briot  for  a 
catechism,  doubtless  to  refresh  his  memory  on  the 
principal  truths  of  our  holy  religion,  and  to  pre- 
pare himself  to  practise  it.  At  the  establishment 
of  St.  Mary  in  Gabon  he  made  a  general  confession 
and  received  Holy  Communion.  Another  officer 
belonging  to  the  Caiman  followed  his  example." 

Finally  a  last  revelation  reaches  us  unexpectedly, 
and  permits  us  to  lay  hold  of  Clcrc  in  the  height 
of  the  struggle,  on  the  eve  of  his  last  combat,  and 
yet  again  while  he  was  still  quivering  from  the 
agony  he  went  through  before  gaining  the  groat 
victory. 

He  had  in  the  navy  a  Christian  friend,  Claude 
Joubert,  a  simple  ensign,  with  whom  he  was  inti- 
mate on  the  frigate  Charter  which  brought  them 
both  back  to  France  after  their  first  cruise  in 
the  southern  seas.  Since  then  Joubert  had  left 
the  service,  not  to  be  idle,  but  with  the  thought  of 
receiving  Holy  Orders  and  of  one  day  consecrating 
himself  to  the  labors  of  the  apostolate.  An  apostle 
he  already  was,  and  he  urged  his  beloved  com- 
panion to  no  longer  resist  grace.  For  the  rest,  he 
was  one  of  those  sure  friends  to  whom  one  may 


,'»  I 


Conversion^ 


75 


anil 
tlic 

iiulc 
inti- 
hem 
in 

left 
tof 
ting 
ostle 
om- 
it, he 
may 


confide  everything.  Ho  died  at  twenty-nine  years 
of  age,  a  deacon,  bearing  to  the  tomb  the  secret  of 
those  intimate  conversations  which  had  caused  liim 
i(i  see  a  ves^scl  of  election  in  that  soul,  still  the 
slave  of  llesh  and  blood,  that  he  strove  to  conquer 
to  Jesus  Christ.  But  he  had  preserved  the  letters 
he  received  from  Gabon  and  other  places,  and  be- 
hold !  after  thirty  years  they  fall  into  our  hands  ; 
they  are  full  of  light — of  a  light  that  illuminates 
the  depth  of  the  abyss  whence  our  new  convert 
escapes  with  a  joy  mingled  with  fear  and  astonish- 
ment. 

Clerc  wrote  for  the  first  time  to  his  friend  from 
*'In  sight  of  Gabon,  December  8,  1840."  After 
some  details  that  would  be  of  no  interest  to  the 
reader,  he  says  :  "  I  come  at  last  to  thank  you  for 
your  kind  letter.  How  opportunely  it  arrived  ! 
hew  affectionate  it  is,  and  how  it  touches  the  exact 
spot  where  I  feel  my  disease  !  0  my  dear  friend  ! 
write  to  me  often,  even  when  you  do  not  receive  a 
reply.  The  great  distance,  you  know,  may  be  the 
cause  of  this,  and  I  am  very  sorry  to  think  that 
you  have  not  written  since  the  30th  of  May,  and 
tliat  you  will  not  write  again  until  you  have  re- 
ceived this  letter.  Do  not  continue  this  plan,  dear 
friend;  the  utility  of  your  letters  makes  it  your 
duty  to  send  them  to  me  frequently.  Show  me 
your  heart,  your  struggles,  your  success.  You  are 
ahead  of  me  in  the  good  path ;  you  owe  me  ex- 
ample and  encouragement. 

"  I  am  on  board  the  steam  corvette  Ca'lmmi  at 
the  station  on  the  western  coast  of  Africa.     I  am 


76 


Alexis  CUtc, 


also  as  happy  as  possible.     The  vessel  is  in  per- 
fect peace.      I  am  on  tlio  best  terms  with   the 
captain,  and  the  lieutenant,  who  is  named  Esman- 
gard,  is  my  friend.     The  men  are  gently  and  justly 
governed  by  the  lieutenant ;  he  is  an  old  friend  of 
Desmarets.     lie  has  no  faiih  ;  but  I  shall  do  so 
much,  he  has  such  good  qualities.  .  .  .  He  will  re- 
ceive it.    My  dear  Joubert,  it  is  idleness  that  is  my 
enemy  now.      This  tranquil  happiness   enervates 
me.    I  am  tormented,  nevertheless  I  do  not  rest 
in  my  idleness  without  remorse,  but  I  do  not  find 
strength  to  will  to  overcome  it ;  I  am  always  in 
this  cruel  dilenwia  *  of  not  daring  to  frame  for 
myself  a  rule  of  conduct,  for  fear  that  it  might  be 
extravagant,  or  that  I  would  follow  it  only  through 
pride,  and  of  wishing  to  frame  one  so  that  my  ef- 
forts to  be  good  may  be  rewarded.     I  need  assis- 
tance; I  am  abandoned,  am  without  direction.     I 
beg  of  you  make  me  a  rule  ;  I  promise  you  I  will 
follow  it  exactly.  .  .  .  You  pity  such  weakness, 
but  it  is  my  state,     Human  respect  also  restrains 
me.    If  I  were  sure  of  persevering  I  would  not 
mind  it ;  but  I  am  so  weak  that  I  fear  a  thousand 
falls,  and  my  ostensible  efforts  would  then  appear  ri- 
diculous.   Moreover,  nowadays  people  pretend  to  be 
pious  through  ambition,  and  I  would  die  of  shame 
if  a  fault,  alas  I  only  too  probable,  should  justify 
the  opinion  that  I  had  been  looking  out  for  an 
epaulette  among  the  missionaries.      All  this  is 
very  trifling,  is  it  not  ?    But  it  is  just  so  with  me. 


♦We  leave  this  word,  although  it  is  improperly  used,— 
Author. 


Conversion, 


77 


You  see  I  have  need  of  you.  I  will  pray,  and  per- 
haps to-morrow  I  will  have  strength  to  go  to  the 
missionaries.  But  send  mc  all  the  same  a  rule  to 
follow,  one  compatible  with  my  profession.  Jesus 
Ciirist  has  promised  to  bo  where  two  or  three  are 


^fathered  tosethor  in  his  name. 


But  I— I 


3d.- 


seek  him  alone ;  will  ho  come  ?  Perhaps  I  am 
wandering  in  the  paths  of  pride  instead  of  advanc- 
ing on  the  road  of  charity." 

The  first  confidences  of  our  young  sailor  stop 
here ;  they  reveal  all  the  hesitations  of  his  will  in 
view  of  a  duty  that  he  regards  as  certain,  and  that 
he  would  be  happy  to  fulfil  if  he  were  more  sure  of 
himself.  lie  continued  in  this  state  a  long  time ; 
it  might  have  been  feared  that  grace,  after  having 
vainly  knocked  at  the  door  of  his  heart,  would 
grow  weary  and  abandon  him  to  a  false  and  fatal 
security.  But  no,  it  will  not  be  thus ;  God  is 
watching  over  that  soul  that  is  really  generous  but 
sleeping,  and  he  will  not  deprive  himself  of  the 
glory  it  will  render  him  when  once  it  is  forever 
attached  to  his  service. 

The  entire  month  passes,  and  Clerc,  returning 
from  Gabon,  again  writes  to  his  friend  : 

"  Jaituary  11,  1817. 

"  My  dear  Joubert  :  Just  as  I  wrote  the  last 
word  of  the  preceding  sheet  I  heard  a  boat  being 
got  ready. .  .  .  I  do  not  know  if  I  had  any  merit  in  it, 
but  without  stopping  to  consult  myself  I  made  my 
escape  to  the  shore.  I  went  to  the  priests  and  I 
confessed  on  the  11th  of  December.  I  received 
absolution  almost  moment  for  moment  twenty- 


78 


Alfxis  CI  ere. 


seven  years  after  my  birth,  *  and  the  same  day  we 
sailed.  Congratulate  me;  a  difficulfcstep  is  taken, 
and  it  was  perhaps  your  letter  which  decided  me. 
1  have  since  made  great  efforts  to  live  well,  but 
you  know  how  hard  it  is  and  how  much  we  need 
help.  Still,  at  sea  one  is  removed  from  many  dan- 
gers ;  the  senses  are  in  an  almost  unnatural  drowsi- 
ness. Truly  man  is  like  a  stone  on  the  top  of  a 
mountain  ;  it  is  firm  on  its  base,  but  if  it  is  moved 
little  by  little,  and  at  last  after  great  exertions 
made  to  roll  over  once,  it  will  continue  to  roll  of 
itself,  slowly  at  firist ;  perhaps  it  might  then  bo 
possible  to  stop  it ;  but  soon  its  course  is  impetu- 
ous ;  no  obstacles  can  arrest  it ;  it  passes  over  them 
with  prodigious  bounds  whicli  augment  its  velocity 
yet  more  ;  it  bruises,  it  drags  after  it  all  it  en- 
counters ;  it  precipitates  itself  as  with  an  ever-in- 
creasing fury  even  into  the  depths  of  the  abyss. 
0  Joubcrt !  let  my  lamentable  experience  serve 
you  as  an  example  ;  may  it  be  one  to  me  !  I  feel 
that  I  have  not  the  strength  meanwhile  to  resi 
such  a  trial  as  my  imagination  pictures  ;  I  pray 
earnestly  for  help,  and  I  endeavor  to  distract  my 
mind  from  those  phantoms. 

"  A  youth  passed  in  all  sorts  of  excesses  is  a  very 
great  misfortune.  You  have  no  knowledge  of  those 
phantoms  which  have  so  long  pursued  me  ;  I  owe 
it  only  to  God's  grace  that  I  am  less  frequently  bc- 

*  Cl'^rc  thought  ho  was  born  on  tho  11th  of  December,  and 
that  is  the  day  ho  had  inscribed  in  the  Catalogue  of  the  Pro- 
vinco  of  Franco  as  the  date  of  his  birth.  But  we  see  from  the 
registry  of  his  baptism,  and  from  his  record  of  service,  that 
he  was  born  on  the  12th. 


CoftversioH, 


79 


7ery 

[owe 
be- 

and 
iFro- 

litho 
ItUat 


set  by  them.  When  I  cast  my  eyes  behind  mo  I 
am  soon  obliged  to  withdraw  my  gaze.  What  I 
ask  oftencst  and  most  earnestly  of  God  is  to  have  a 
horror  of  evil,  to  weep  over  my  past ;  I  have  not 
yet  obtained  it. 

''You  see,  my  dear  Joubert,  how  worthy  of  pity 
my  condition  is.  It  seems  to  me  that  if  it  were 
necessary  to  die  for  my  salvation  I  would  not  hesi- 
tate, yet  I  live  with  apprehension.  What  a  crea- 
ture man  is  !  It  is  easier,  then,  for  him  to  sacrifice 
his  life  than  to  deny  his  passions.  Solitude  is  often 
fatal,  society  almost  always  so.  Would  you  be- 
lieve that  it  is  impossible  for  mo  to  spc  ]d  one  day 
without  speaking  ill  of  somebody  ?  I  know  how 
strongly  evil-speaking  is  forbidden,  but  it  is  so 
common  a  topic  that  one  must  condemn  one's  self 
to  an  absolute  silence  to  avoid  falling  into  it. 

"I  cannot  understand  charity.  I  do  not  know 
how  to  love  a  man  filled  with  faults ;  it  is 
difCcnlt  to  detest  the  faults  and  to  love  the  man 
who  delights  in  them.  The  remedy  would  bo  to 
judge  nobody,  but  that  is  still  more  impracticable. 
I  search  diligently,  but  I  cannot  find  in  myself  any 
possible  solution  of  the  problem.  How  can  wo 
avoid  judging  actions  which  strike  us,  sentiments 
which  people  take  pleasure  in  revealing  to  us  ?  I 
know  that  I  am  myself  full  of  faults,  that  I  cherish 
a  multitude  of  guilty  sentiments  in  which  I  de- 
light, but  this  does  not  influer'^o  my  judgment  of 
others  ;  certainly  if  I  had  to  condemn,  it  would  ren- 
der me  indulgent,  and  I  think  I  would  never  con- 
demn. 


"  iuni'. 


80 


Alexis  Clerc. 


But  not  to  judge  and  think  :  that  is  good  or 
that  is  lad,  is  beyond  me — I  cannot  help  it; 
neither  can  I  help  thinking:  that  man  is  lad, 
sensual,  dishonest,  etc.  Oh  !  if  the  yoke  is  easy 
and  the  burden  light,  it  is  also  very  true  that  the 
road  is  rough  and  narrow." 

Finally,  on  the  20tli  of  January,  before  sealing 
his  letter,  Clerc  added  these  few  words:  *'I  take 
advantage  of  an  unexpected  opportunity  of  send- 
ing you  this  letter,  but  it  leaves  a  crowd  of  things 
still  unsaid.  Since  the  lltli  I  have  received  letters 
from  France.  God's  hand  is  revealing  itself  to  me, 
dear  Joubert.  Mv  brother  has  returned  to  the 
bosom  of  the  Church  and  has  communicated.  .  .  . 
I  have  had  a  fit  of  the  most  intense  aversion  for 
the  sea.  I  am  unsettled.  If  this  continuance  of 
aversion  is  a  sign  from  God  to  quit  the  profession,  I 
am  ready  ;  but  I  do  not  vi ant  to  quit  it  as  a  coward 
— that  is  to  say,  from  human  motives.  Enlighten 
me,  and  pray  for  me. 

*' Adieu,  dear  and  faithful  friend  !  Pray  for  an 
unfortunate  who  is  very  often  shaken  by  circum- 
stances, and  much  tormented  bv  his  own  heart.  I 
embrace  you.  A.  0." 

It  was  something  admirable  ;  being  once  entered 
on  that  narrow  way  which  he  had  approached  but 
with  fear  and  trembling,  Clerc  did  not«igain  fall 
back,  as  he  had  so  much  dreaded,  and  as  had 
seemed  inevitable  to  him  when  he  considered  only 
his  own  weakness  of  which  he  had  Imd,  still  quite 
recently,  a  sad  but  final  experience.  The  danger- 
ous images  of  his  past,  the  odious  phantoms  which 


Conversion.  o 

ol 

cognised  re;r:SorL"r?'''^t''  ^'"y  "«  '■«" 
"Come  to  n>e    ;     von     I    JTf  ^^"^'^'"^  ^»''^-- 

upon  jou,  and  learn  of  If  because  I  ,"^'  "^^  ^"^^ 
luimble  of  heart    ind  vln     i  ^?  ,      ""*  °'«"=''  "nd 

souls.    For^Ty^lcet  .CunL  "1°  'T'  '°  ^""^ 
(St.  Mutt.  xi.  L-30)        ^      ^  »>? barden  light" 


;■.)'; 


'p.  I 


CHAPTER  III. 


ALEXIS'  PROGRESS  IN  THE  CHRISTIAN   LIFE— SERVICE  ON 
SHORE— L'ORIENT,  INDRET,  BREST. 

Retuened  to  Franco  in  the  summer  of  1847, 
Alexis  is  another  man  ;  his  old  companions,  "wit- 
nesses of  so  unexpected  a  transformation,  do  not 
in  the  least  understand  it  and  cannot  believe  their 
eyes.  Is  it  some  strange  eccentricity  ?  Is  it  a  jest, 
a  wager  ?  Is  he  truly  in  his  right  senses,  and  how 
long  will  it  last  ? 

But  he  declares  to  them  that  it  is  a  very  serious 
matter,  and  that,  with  the  grace  of  God,  he  will 
never  change  again.  His  neophyte's  fervor  recalls 
the  cry  of  Polyene  to  on  coming  forth  from  his 
baptism : 

"  Aliens,  mon  clier  Ndarque,  allons  aux  yeux  des  hommes 
Braver  I'idolatrie  et  moutrer  qui  nous  sommes. "  * 

Alas  I  in  the  Paris  of  the  nineteenth  century  the 
cry,  I  am  a  Christian  !  still  astonishes  many  pagan 
ears  and  excites  tlie  rage  of  persecutors ;  and 
Clerc  was  one  day  to  learn  something  of  this. 
Meanwhile  he  passed  for  a  fool,  or  at  least  for  a  great 
singularity,  among  people  who  had  seen  him  as 
much  a  stranger  as  themselves  to  all  religious 

*  Let  us  go,  my  dear  Nearchus,  let  us  go  in  the  sight  of  men 
to  defy  idolatry  and  show  who  we  are, 

63 


Service  on  Shore. 


83 


the 
jan 
md 
ihis. 
reat 
as 
lous 


tlioiiglits.  In  his  eyes  the  folly  was  in  not  believing 
in  Jesus  Christ  and  in  not  walking  in  his  foot- 
steps; he  explained  himself  on  the  subject  with  a 
sharpness  of  expression  well  suited  to  disconcert 
those  to  whom  his  new  mode  of  life  appeared  un- 
reasonable, and  who  came  to  sound  his  dispositions 
with  more  of  malicious  curiosity  than  of  interest 
and  sympathy. 

On  one  occasion  he  was  met  by  an  old  com- 
panion, since  become  captain  of  a  frigate  and  an 
assistant  professor  at  the  Polytechnic  School ;  a  man 
of  much  spirit,  but  a  sceptic  and  greatly  puzzled 
at  such  a  change.  ^'  What  is  this  report,  my  dear 
Clerc,  about  your  having  turned  Jesuit  ?  "  Clerc 
was  not  yet  a  Jesuit,  but  wo  know  what  the  word 
means  on  the  lips  of  those  who  are  not  even  Chris- 
tians. *'  Yes,  of  course  *  I  have,  as  every  man  of 
heart  and  intelligence  would  if  he  were  not  an  igno- 
ramus." This  was  his  answer,  and  "  Clerc's  tone, 
gesture,  and  eyes  were  such  that  I  saw  there  was 
no  chance  for  discussion ;  I  left  him,  promising 
mvself  never  to  return." 

If  he  had  always  answered  in  this  manner  he 
would  not  have  eilected  many  conversions.  For- 
tunately, in  time  he  acquired  more  control  of 
himself,  not  without  effort,  but  with  a  merit  as 
much  greater  as  this  slightly  rude  frankness  was 
natural  to  his  character. 

He  had  a  little  circle  of  friends  in  Paris  to  whom 
his  conversion,  so  long  waited  for,  was  a  subject  of 


*  Of  course  is  not  in  the  original. — Author. 


84 


A /ex is  Clerc. 


fife' 
I*; 


much  joy.  The  best  of  tlieso  was  his  brother 
Jules,  who  became  at  the  same  time  as  himself  a 
ferveut  Catholic.  Both  brothers  had  from  child- 
hood been  friends  with  a  valiant  writer  who  had 
early  consecrated  his  pen  to  tlie  triumph  of  reli- 
gion, and  whose  home  was  radiant  with  the  loveli- 
est virtues  united  in  the  person  of  a  distinguished 
wife  whom  God  had  brought  to  a  knowledge  of  his 
law  by  extraordinary  ways.     Mr.  and  Madame  de 

S (discretion  forbids  us  to  name  them  more 

plainly)  were  friends  in  the  fullest  sense,  and  as  they 
followed  the  inspirations  of  faith  in  everything, 
they  celebrated  in  the  holiest  manner,  by  joining 
him  at  the  sacred  banquet,  the  return  of  this  pro- 
digal son  to  his  Father's  house. 

Mr.  Jules  Clerc  had  confided  the  care  of  his  soul 
to  the  Abbe  de  la  Bouillerie,  then  Vicar-General 
of  Paris,  and  since  successively  Bishop  of  Car- 
cassonne and  Coadjutor  of  Bordeaux.  But  one  of 
the  brothers  could  not  have  a  friend  or  a  guide 
who  was  not  also  the  friend  and  guide  of  the 
other  ;  therefore,  after  a  short  stay  in  Paris  which 
sufficed  to  acquaint  him  with  the  valua  of  such  a 
friendship,  Alexis  testified  for  the  Abbe  de  la 
Bouillerie  the  same  affection  and  filial  confidence 
as  if  he  had  always  been  his  spiritual  son. 

He  was  not  inclined  to  forget  the  faithful  Jou- 
bert,  his  first  guide  and  his  model  in  the  generous 
accomplishment  of  all  the  obligations  of  Chris- 
tianity. What  had  become  of  that  dear  companion, 
of  whom  he  had  not  heard  since  his  departure  from 
Gabon  ?     He  did  not  know,  but  supposed  he  was 


011- 

ous 
ris- 
ion, 
•om 
Iwas 


Service  on  Shore, 


85 


still  with  his  family  at  Pont-de-Vaux*  (Depart- 
ment of  Ain).  It  was  there  that  he  addressed  a  let- 
ter to  him  on  the  27th  of  August,  1847,  heing  him- 
self at  Lorient  and  still  on  the  Caiman,  for  he  had 
spent  but  a  very  short  time  in  Paris  : 

**A11  my  efforts  now  tend  to  becoming  Christian 
and  to  loving  God  very  much.  I  ought  not  to  talk 
to  you  of  my  efforts,  because,  in  truth,  I  am  very 
inert,  without  either  courage  or  perseverance.  I 
am  like  a  ship  disabled,  but  God,  who  has  been  so 
good  as  to  recall  mc  to  himself,  will  make  this  poor 
hulk  drift  towards  the  surest  port.  But  I  should 
aid  myself  according  to  my  means,  and  I  do  very 
little.  I  must  tell  you  what  he  has  done  for  me 
lately.  You  know  me,  dear  friend,  and  you  know 
that  I  have  a  restless  nature,  active  enough,  not 
profound  at  all,  and  tolerably  inconstant.  You 
know  also  what  this  life  on  shipboard  is — unoccu- 
pied and  trifling,  leaving  the  whole  day  for  idle 
dreaming.  I  was  very  uneasy  about  being  in  such 
a  life,  especially  with  the  privation  of  a  church 
added  to  it.  I  believe  that  it  is  really  dangerous. 
During  our  last  voyage  I  kept  a  sort  of  diary,  wrote 
almost  every  day  all  my  disquietudes,  all  my  fears, 
and  all  my  thoughts,  so  that  I  think  I  made  a  pretty 
exact  likeness  of  myself.  My  plan  was  to  give  the 
manuscript  to  some  priest,  who  might  from  read- 
ing it  be  able  immediately  to  advise  and  help  me. 
The  life  we  sailors  lead  is  so  uncertain  that  it  is 


*  Pont-de-Vaux  was  tha  native  place  of  General  Jo^bcr^, 
and  our  Claude  Joubert  was  one  of  the  nephews  of  that  illus- 
trious soldier. 


'rr 


86 


Alexis  Clerc. 


w 


prudent  for  us  to  get  the  start  of  opportunities. 
But  it  was  necessary  to  find  a  priest.  My  brother 
sent  me  to  see  his  director.  I  did  not  wait  to  con- 
sider ;  I  gave  him  my  papers,  and  tlie  good  God 
Has  permitted  me  to  find  liim  one  of  the  best  and 
most  intelligent  of  men.  He  is  the  Abbe  de  la 
Bouillerie,  the  first  vicar  of  the  Archbishop  of 
Paris.  I  did  not  know  him  at  all,  and  I  could  not 
have  made  a  better  choice.  lie  inspires  me  with 
as  much  affection  as  respect.  I  only  regret  that, 
busy  as  he  is,  I  must  increase  his  burden  of  cares ; 
yet  I  take  a  kind  of  egotistical  pleasure  in  being 
allowed  to. 

"I  do  not  feel  in  a  mood  to  talk  to  you  any 
longer  now.  Consider  this  as  a  mere  announce- 
ment of  my  arrival.  Inform  mo  of  all  that  con- 
cerns you,  and  rely  upon  my  haste  in  answering 
your  letter.  I  am  at  present  at  Lorient  on  board 
the  Caiman. 

"  I  need  a  great  deal  of  help.  I  recommend 
myself  to  your  prayers.  A.  0." 

When  this  letter  reached  Joubert  he  had  already 
said  good-by  to  the  world,  and  was  residing  no 
longer  with  his  family,  but  at  the  Seminary  of  Issy 
near  Paris  ;  he  had  commenced  at  Issy  the  studies 
which,  continued  the  following  year  at  the  Semi- 
nary of  St.  Sulpice,  were  to  prepare  him  for  the 
reception  of  holy  orders.  We  may  judge  of  his 
joy  at  seeing  Clerc  so  well  started  on  the  right  road. 
Clerc  had  begun  his  letter  by  saying  :  "  You  con- 
tributed to  my  conversion.  I  shall  never  forget 
you."    To  inform  his  beloved  comrade  of  the  sue- 


Service  on  Shore. 


87 


les 
li- 
Ihe 
lis 
Id. 
In- 
let 
c- 


V 


cessful  issue  of  liis  vocation,  to  talk  to  liim  of  the 
happiness  of  retreat,  of  the  spiritual  delights  of  the 
seminary  life,  of  his  venerated  directors,  of  his  new 
studies,  which  nourished  his  soul  while  enlighten- 
ing his  mind,  and  were  in  this  so  different  from  the 
proud  science  of  the  world  ;  then  to  make  it  a  duty 
to  find  for  him  at  Lorient  a  new  guide,  if  possible 
another  Abbe  de  la  Bouillerie — such  was  the  first 
inspiration  of  Claude  Joubert,  and  he  succeeded  in 
it  all  beyond  his  hopes.  We  would  here  say  a 
word  in  praise  of  this  holy  young  man,  of  whom 
the  Seminary  of  St.  Sulpice  had  but  a  glimpse  ; 
his  memory  has  not  entirely  disappeared  from  there, 
and  one  of  the  present  directors,*  who  was  his  fel- 
low-seminarian, tells  us  that  if  he  had  lived  he 
would  certainly  have  made  a  zealous  priest.  Hum- 
ble, modest,  reserved,  perfectly  faithful  to  the 
rules,  he  spoke  little  of  his  past,  and  it  was  scarcely 
known  in  the  circle  of  his  intimate  companions 
that  he  had  had  the  experience  of  a  cruise  in  the 
Southern  seas. 

In  the  beginning  of  September,  Clerc,  at  last 
off  the  Ca'imaji,  was  attached  to  the  Superintend- 
ence of  the  port  of  Lorient.  It  was  his  first  station 
on  the  coast  of  Brittany.  During  the  three  years 
following  he  had  no  fixed  residence,  his  duties 
calling  him  by  turns  to  Brest,  to  Saint  Nazaire,  to 
Paimbceuf,  and  to  Indret,  not  to  speak  of  several 
short  voyages  on  the  CajfarelU,  the  Caravane,  and 
the  Duguesclin.    The  reader  would  take  little  in- 

+  The  Abb6  Sire. 


m.\ 


;.(![ 


''Ill 


88 


Alexis  Clcrc. 


■^    ! 


teresfc  in  accompanying  the  young  officer  in  these 
diflerent  wanderings.  The  special  service  in  which 
he  was  employed  on  the  steamer  Pelican  is  of  a 
little  more  consequence,  and  we  shall  have  a  word 
to  say  ahout  it  at  the  proper  time.  The  great  ad- 
vantage which  he  found  in  these  various  situations 
was  having  time  to  recollect  himself,  and  to  de- 
vote himself,  undistracted  hy  worldly  matters,  to 
prayer,  study,  and  good  wcks. 

A  letter,  dated  Lorient,  Scptemhcr  17,  1847,  and 
addressed  to  his  brother  Jules,  puts  before  our 
eyes,  so  to  speak,  the  first  effort  of  his  zeal,  and 
shows  us  a  discernment  not  at  all  to  be  expected 
from  so  inexperienced  a  missionary,  It  relates  to  a 
friend — we  will  call  him  Alphonse — whom  his  bro- 
ther and  Mr.  do  S ,  together  with  himself,  were 

laboring  to  bring  back  to  the  right  path,  and  to 
whom  they  had  recommended  Pascal's  **  Pensees" 
and  La  Bruy^re's  chapter  on  *'  Les  Esprits  Ports." 
Alexis  disapproved  the  choice  of  this  reading, 
which  he  judged  would  produce  but  little  effect, 
and  he  endeavored  to  gain  his  two  auxiliaries  to 
his  view  of  the  case. 

**It  is  very  true  that  Pascal's  'Pensues'  which 
first  opened,  the  way  to  me,  and  the  chajDter  on 
*Les  Esprits  Ports'  which  I  read  shortly  after, 
are  books  I  regard  as  very  good  and  very  for- 
cible, which  I  have  no  intention  of  attacking,  and 
which,  on  the  contrary,  I  am  ready  to  defei  d.  But 
the  '  Pensces'  are  difficult  of  comprehension,  and, 
it  seems  to  me,  would  make  no  impression  on  a 
mind  that  was  not  reflective.     And  I  believe  that. 


Service  on  S/iore, 


89 


»» 


j> 


cli 
Ion 

id 


taking  in  a  mass  those  of  them  which  Alphonso 
would  read  and  undcrstantl,  those  lie  would  read 
without  iinderstandin-i,  and  those  he  would  not 
read  at  all,  and  regarding  the  impulse  that  now 
animates  him,  the  whole  would  form  a  very  foggy 
cloud,  which  would  flee  away  behind  him  without 
his  so  much  as  glancing  at  it  once  again.  The 
chapter  on  '  Lcs  Esprits  Forts,' — I  agree  that  he 
will  be  able  to  read  it  through  without  skipping  ; 
it  is  malicious  and  vivacious  enough  to  interest  him. 
But,  thank  God  !  Alphonse  cannot  be  placed  in  La 
Bruy ore's  category  oi  strong  minds. 

"Alphonse  is  neither  a  strong  mind  nor  a  scep- 
tic Alphonse — and  you  can  tell  him  so  from 
me — belongs  to  none  of  the  philosophical  cate- 
gories. His  philosophy  consists  in  having  no 
philosophy,  because  philosophy  is  a  bore,  and  his 
cliicf  business  is  to  be  bored  as  little  as  possible. 
Do  not  address  yourself  to  his  mind  to  convince 
it;  it  is  already  convinced.  The  only  thing  is,  he 
docs  not  want  to  think  of  the  matter,  and  he  suc- 
ceeds tolerably  well.  Supposing  that  you  should 
convince  him,  have  you  not  seen  him  a  hundred 
times  perfectly  convinced,  fully  decided  upon  a 
resolution  which  he  has  not  even  tried  to  put  in 
practice  ?  But  tell  him,  and  repeat  it  over  and 
over  again,  that  if  he  is  without  force,  strength, 
there  is  a  way  to  acquire  it,  that  he  must  ask  for  it. 
He  knows  where  the  good  is,  but  he  has  not 
strength  to  desire  it.  Tell  him  to  ask  for  that 
strong! h.  It  is  not  his  mmd  he  must  conquer  ;  it 
is  his  passions.     Be  persistent  in  inducing  him  to 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
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90 


Alexis  Clerc, 


make  little  sacriflces  ;  help  him  when  ho  docs  well, 
encourage  him  ;  do  not  leave  him  long  to  himself. 
Say  nothing  of  what  there  may  be,  at  the  com- 
mencement, sad  in  religion  ;  be  as  gay  and  as 
agreeable  as  possible  ;  let  him  see  that  religion  has 
sweet  joys,  permitted  pleasures ;  and  take  special 
care  to  pay  him,  as  far  as  you  can,  with  a  reward 
for  every  sacrifice  you  obtain  from  him.  Finally, 
let  him  feel  that  to  become  a  Christian  is  not  to 
die.  You  will  accomplish  nothing  with  argumen- 
tative blows  ;  you  will  do  everything  by  attentions, 
by  persistence,  and  by  making  him  feel  the 
sweetness  of  lawful  pleasures.  In  conclusion,  my 
dear  Jules,  remind  him  of  what  I  told  him  to  en- 
grave on  his  memory. 

"I  cannot  conceal  from  you  that  I  consider 
your  task  a  very  heavy  one ;  but  you  have  good 
courage,  and  God  will  assist  you. 

"  I  say  all  this  not  to  vex  you,  which  I  would 
not  for  the  world.  If  you  are  not  convinced  that 
I  am  right  about  the  matter,  there  is  always  for  a 
consulter  that  unfortunate  Abbe  de  la  Bouillerie 
who  made  in  us  acquaintances  very  fatal  to  his 
poaco  and  quiet." 

Alexis'  letter  to  his  brother  Jules  terminates  with 
tbd  following  recommendation : 

"  I  ought  to  have  spoken  to  you  of  an  old  friend 
of  mine,  an  old  pupil  of  the  Polytechnic  School  and 
a  midshipman  with  me  on  board  the  Chartc^  who  has 
laid  aside  the  cuirass  and  taken  up  the  hair-cloth. 
This  worthy  young  fellow  is  at  St.  Sulpice,  and  I 
knew  nothing  about  it.    I  mucii  regret  not  having 


Service  on  Shore, 


^i 


seen  liim,  and  I  commission  you  to  make  liis  ac- 
quaintance ;  I  think  it  will  be  an  advantage  to  you. 
His  name  is  Claude  Joubert.  He  will  be  at  Issy, 
at  the  seminary,  until  the  lOtli  of  October,  and 
after  that  date  at  the  Seminary  St.  Sulpice  in  Paris. 
You  will  oblige  me  by  delivering  my  letter  to  Jou- 
bert yourself." 

These  are  the  contents  of  Alexis'  letter  to  his  old 
comrade : 

"  I  was  severely  punished  for  my  delay  in  writ- 
ing to  you  by  being  ignorant  that  I  could  see  you 
while  I  was  in  Paris.  The  occasions  of  our  meet- 
ing will  perhaps  be  so  rare  that  I  deeply  regret  the 
one  I  have  let  slip.  It  is  sweet  to  me,  it  would 
have  been  useful  to  mo  to  see  you  in  peace  and  at 
study.  You  have  worked  a  good  deal ;  the  numer- 
ous quotations  in  your  letter  prove  this.  What  a 
charming  work  that  must  be  which  initiates  us 
into  sucli  grand  sentimenls,  into  such  grand  ideas  I 
And  are  we  not  to  be  pitied  for  having  so  long 
worn  ourselves  out  with  working  at  useless  things  ? 
My  dear  Joubert,  you  have  preceded  me  in  the  nar- 
row way  ;  you  have  had  the  happiness  of  breaking 
with  the  world  ;  j  sure  to  always  remember  and 
pity  me.  I  am  very  often  afraid  of  seeking  to 
serve  two  masters  at  once  ;  I  wish  I  could  be  able 
once  and  for  ever  to  reject  the  tyrant  and  keep  the 
father.  I  wish  the  impossible,  .  .  .  the  binding  of 
my  will  irrevocably  to  the  good.  Living  in  the 
world,  temptations  may  present  themselves  in  so 
many  expected  or  unexpected  ways  that  we  need 
still  more  help  from  God  to  save  us  from  falling; 


fi 


Alexis  Clerc, 


and  yet  in  the  activity  of  our  life  liow  difficult  it  is 
to  find  the  recollection  of  prayer  !  The  danger  is 
especially  great,  it  seems  to  me,  because  it  is  com- 
posed of  many  very  little  dangers  which  wc  do  not 
sufficiently  dread,  and  our  negligence  in  avoiding 
them  causes  us  to  fall  into  a  state  of  languor 
wherein  wc  no  longer  feel  the  help  of  grace,  and 
arc  no  longer  worthy  of  it.  Conversation  particu- 
larly is  a  snare  of  this  sort,  especially  to  talka- 
tive persons  whose  petty  vanity  enjoys  intensely 
the  success  of  a  well-said  and  well-placed  word. 
Those  who  love  to  hear  themselves  talk  and  who 
arc  willingly  listened  to,  are  very  apt  to  talk  non- 
sense. 

"  I  believe  I  told  you  how  useful  the  letter  I  re- 
ceived from  you  at  Gabon  was  to  me.  Your  last 
also  arrived  very  opportunely  ;  let  this  encourage 
you  not  to  be  lazy  about  writing.  I  made  haste  to 
find  the  Abbo  Stevant ;  I  spent  nearly  two  hours 
with  him,  and  the  time  was  well  employed.  Please 
thank  the  Abbe  Pinault*  for  the  excellent  ac- 
quaintance he  has  procured  me.  I  know  Father 
Pinault  by  name  through  a  little  scientific  dispute 
which  Bertrand  \  had  with  him  on  the  subject  of 
a  chapter  of  his  *  Treatise  on  the  Differential  Cal- 
culus.' I  am  very  grateful  to  him  for  being  in- 
terested in  my  conversion,  and  for  the  service  ho 
has  just  rendered  me,  and  I  ask  of  him  the  per- 

*  Director  at  the  Seminary  of  Issy.  Ho  was  a  distinguished 
mathematician,  formerly  professor  of  the  University  and  mas- 
ter of  the  conferences  at  the  Superior  Normal  School. 

t  Mr.  Joseph  Bertrand,  now  one  of  the  perpetual  secretaries 
of  the  Academy  of  Sciences. 


Service  on  Shore, 


93 


'  'I 


rc- 

last 

ige 

to 

LUS 

ase 

ac- 

er 

te 

of 

al- 

in- 

ho 

er- 

Ibed 
las- 

ries 


mission,  of  which  I  shall  avail  myself  when  God 
wills,  to  call  to  thank  him  in  person. 

"The  Abbe  Stovant  appears  to  well  deserve  the 
title  of  *  holy  priest '  which  you  give  him.  It  is 
touching  to  see  these  men  of  God  blot  out  their 
personality  so  completely  that  they  never  speak  of 
themselves  directly  or  indirectly  ;  they  belong  en- 
tirely to  others  ;  one  might  say  that  their  souls 
could  not  go  to  be  united  to  God,  except  they  were 
carried  by  those  they  have  aided,  encouraged,  and 
guided  to  a  happy  end.  This  is  by  way  of  telling 
you  that  I  was  most  cordially  received.  I  was  just 
then  in  great  perplexity,  and,  thanks  to  Abbe  Sto- 
vant, I  am  relieved  of  it.  He  seemed  to  me,  on  that 
point  which  I  found  difficult,  not  less  intelligent 
and  enlightened  than  kind  and  devoted. 

"I  got  him  to  describe  to  me  a  day  at  Saint  Sul- 
pice.  He  is  overflowing  with  pleasant  memories 
of  that  house,  and  regards  the  days  he  spent  there 
as  the  happiest  of  his  life.  You  also  tell  me  that 
you  have  never  tasted  so  much  happiness.  I 
believe  full  well  that  what  I  know  of  it  is  indeed 
happiness,  but  I  must  congratulate  you  on  receiv- 
ing strength  to  bear  up  under  so  prolonged  a  strain 
on  the  mind.  A  single  hour  of  rest  during  the 
day  would  be  insufficient  amid  such  serious  and 
difficult  studies,  if  you  had  not  the  advantage  of 
Ihiding  in  your  frequent  visits  to  the  chapel  re- 
freshment and  assistance  to  temper  you  again,  as 
Abbe  Stovant  expresses  it.  It  is  a  great  happiness 
to  pray  from  the  fulness  of  one's  heart,  to  be  im- 
patient at  being  prevented  from  praying,  uot  to 


94 


Alexis  Clerc. 


have  to  oblige  one's  self  to  pray  by  saying :  *It  is 
the  hour  ;  I  must  pray.'  To  know  how  to  pray  is 
to  pray  with  attraction,  to  pray  with  love.  We 
must  love  in  order  to  pray,  we  must  pray  in  order 
to  love — it  is  a  veritable  circle;  it  has  neither  be- 
ginning nor  end,  and  we  cannot  move  around  it 
unless  we  have  received  a  good  initial  impulse  to 
determine  our  motion,  and  unless  we  experience 
the  centripetal  force  that  makes  us  describe  it. 
.  .  .  My  comparison  is  not  a  very  happy  one,  but 
it  is  very  certain  that  we  can  neither  love  nor  pray 
unless  God  gives  us  the  power.  The  whole  tiling 
is  perhaps  the  history  of  the  ten  talents  which  in 
the  hands  of  the  diligent  steward  increased  a  hun- 
dred-fold. At  first  we  receive  grace  to  prny  a  lit- 
tle, and  if  we  make  good  use  of  our  capital  we 
gain  power  to  love  a  liutlo  more,  and  consequently 
to  pray  better,  and  so  on.  Oh  !  to  love  God  is  the 
great  thing." 

Clerc  still  feared  at  this  time  to  bo  overcome  by 
despair  if  he  should  have  the  misfortune  of  falling 
again  into  his  old  faults  ;  he  frankly  acknowledges 
this  to  his  friend,  while  promising  to  remember 
that  in  the  most  extreme  cases  there  always  remains 
to  the  sinner  a  plank  of  salvation.  Finally  he 
speaks  of  his  studies  ;  he  has  undertaken  to  read 
St,  Thomas  of  Aquin.  *'  It  is  difl&cult  for  me,  less 
because  it  is  written  in  Latin  than  on  account  of 
its  being  full  of  the  philosophy  of  Aristotle,  of 
which  I  am  perfectly  ignorant.  But  I  shall  succeed 
in  going  through  it,  I  hope. 

•*  To  conclude,"  he  adds,  "I  announce  to  you 


Service  on  Shore, 


95 


by 

lling 
Qges 

iibcr 

lains 

|y  ^'^ 

lieacl 

less 
it  of 
le,  of 
Icecd 


that  I  have  engaged  my  brother  Jules  to  call  upon 
you.  I  am  sure  you  will  be  pleased  with  him  ;  it 
is  not  possible  to  find  a  better  creature ;  he  helps 
everybody,  loves  everybody,  and  forgets  only  him- 
self ;  ho  is  a  good  Christian,  of  a  rather  fresh  date 
like  myself,  but  he  has  nicely  improved  his  time. 
Ilis  is  a  simple  and  upright  heart ;  I  do  not  think 
he  is  very  philosophical,  but  he  loves  God  and  his 
neighbor  a  great  deal.  As  for  me,  I  find  that  he 
loves  me  a  little  too  well. 

*'  I,shall  soon  be  deprived  of  Abbu  Stcvant,  who 
starts  for  Renncs  Sunday  morning. 

"If  you  want  to    know  about  my  position,  my 
brother  will  tell  you.     Adieu.  A.  C." 

At  Lorient  Clerc  found  another  comrade,  Mr. 

C ,  belonging  also  to  the  navy,  but  who  at  that 

lime  in  his  religious  ideas  was  where  our  new  con- 
vert was  when  he  left  the  Polytechnic  School. 

"He  came  to  sec  me,"  said  Mr.  C ,  when  wo 

asked  for  his  reminiscences,  "'  to  resume,  or  rather 
to  begin,  our  acquaintance.  At  the  very  first  ho 
told  me  of  his  conversion.  The  news  was  so  unex- 
pected that  I  did  not  believe  it,  taking  it  for  some 
pleasantry  or  jest,  the  point  of  which  I  could  not 
understand.  At  last,  however,  I  was  convinced 
that  he  spoke  seriously.  From  our  professional 
relations  there  soon  sprang  sympathy  and  friend- 
ship, and  we  spent  together  till  the  close  of  1847 
several  very  agreeable  months  which  I  have  always 
liked  to  remember." 

The  reader  will  guess  that  he  who  speaks  thus  is 
now  a  Christian.     He  attributes  the  happy  change 


c/, 


Alexis  Clcrc, 


lo  Iiis  friend's  inllucnco  in  a  great  degree.  But  his 
conversion  was  only  completed  much  later,  and  we 
shall  see  with  what  ingenious  zeal,  with  what  pas- 
sionate ardor,  Clerc  was  still  laboring  for  it,  with- 
out ever  losing  courage,  several  years  after  his  en- 
trance into  the  Society  of  Jesus. 

Mr.  C introduces  us  to  the  solitary  and  stu- 
dious life  in  which  Clerc  found  such  pleasure  at 
Lorient,  and  which  must  have  seemed  very  unna- 
tural to  those  who  were  acquainted  with  his  social 
character  and  his  old  habits  of  dissipation.  '*  I  had 
rented,"  this  faithful  witness  tells  us,  "in  common 
with  another  friend,  a  little  house  and  garden  ia 
a  suburb  of  Lorient.  After  the  business  of  the  day 
was  over  we  were  accustomed  to  go  there  to  spend 
a  few  hours  and  breathe  the  fresh  air.  Clerc,  being 
added  to  our  society,  found  the  garden  pleasant, 
and,  having  no  active  service  just  then,  he  installed 
himself  in  the  little  house.  There  he  devoted  all 
his  time  to  meditation  and  study.  To  our  great 
astonishment  he  read  the  "  Summa  "  of  St.  Thomas 
from  morning  till  night ;  but  for  all  that  he  did 
not  show  himself  less  gay  or  less  amiable  when  we 
went  out  to  pass  a  few  hours  with  him.  I  greatly 
admired  his  virtue,  his  firm  convictions,  his  aspi- 
rations towards  the  good,  and  his  contempt  for  the 
things  of  thi^  world.  Notwithstanding  that,  all 
the  efforts  he  made  to  win  us  over  did  not  in  the 
least  succeed,  and  despite  our  affection  for  him, 
and  the  harmony  of  our  intercourse,  we  considered 
him  a  little  cracivcd.  The  summer  ended,  winter 
came,  and  we  returned  to  the  city;    we  continued 


Service  on  Shore. 


97 


lomas 
le  tli<l 
m  we 
Ireatly 
aspi- 
)!•  the 
|at,  all 
m  the 
l.im, 
tdered 
hvinter 
Linucd 


to  spend  our  evenings  together.  Clerc  was  always 
gay  and  cliarming,  I  fearlcis  and  earnest  in  dis- 
cussing all  that  either  nearly  or  remotely  concern- 
ed religion  ;  therefore  wc  had  opportunities  of  re- 
proaching his  intolerance  and  refusing  to  take  his 
sernrions  seriously.  But  his  gayety  and  good  nature 
always  prevented  any  bitter  feeling  among  us." 

What  did  these  little  railleries  matter  to  Clerc  ? 
He  would  .^lave  borne  many  more  for  the  cause 
which  he  loved  ;  and,  besides,  he  knew  how  to  re- 
gard the  dispositions  of  his  friends.  A  glance  at 
his  own  past  sufficed  to  teach  him  not  to  despair 
of  tliose  who  put  themselves  on  the  defensive,  and 
are  even  tolerably  aggressive,  as  soon  as  they  arc 
spoken  to  about  religion. 

The  reader  has  remarked  this  fact :  Clerc  already 
studied  the  "8umma"of  St.  Thomas.  With 
what  object  ?  Had  he  then,  scarcely  converted, 
ideas  of  an  ecclesiastical  vocation?  Oh!  no;  ho 
did  nov,  look  so  far  ahead,  and  he  would  have  been 
greatly  surprised  if  any  one  had  told  him  that  he 
would  one  day  be  sitting  on  the  benches  of  a  theo- 
logical school.  But  this  is  what  was  in  his  mind  : 
Having  become  a  Christian,  and  this  seriously,  he 
deemed  it  quite  natural,  if  not  necessary,  to  give 
the  first  place  in  the  cultivation  of  his  mind  to  the 
most  beautiful  and  the  most  important  of  all 
sciences — the  one  which  has  for  its  object  God  and 
the  soul,  our  duties  here  below,  the  assistance  God 
gives  us  to  fulfil  them,  and  the  reward  he  reserves 
for  our  fidelity.  But  how  should  he  learn  that 
fccience  of  which  he  felt  himself  so  ignorant  even 


98 


Alexis  Clerc. 


after  the  serious  readings  that  had  led  the  way  to 
liis  conversion  ?  Preoccupied  with  this  thought 
one  day — it  was  before  lie  left  Paris — he  met  an 
ecclesiastic  in  the  street.  lie  immediately  ap- 
proached him,  and,  lifting  his  hat,  said  :  "Par- 
don, reverend  sir";  allow  me  just  one  word  in  pass- 
ing. Be  good  enough  to  tell  mo  the  name  of  the 
author  who  has  written  the  best  on  religion."  **  St. 
Thomas  Aquinas,"  was  the  reply.  "  And  in  which 
work,  if  you  please?"  **In  his  'Theological 
Summa.'*'  *'  Thank  you  a  thousand  times."  Clerc 
again  saluted  the  priest,  and  made  all  haste  to 
procure  the  "Summa"  of  St.  Thomas. 

At  first  he  found  it  pretty  difficult  reading  ;  his 
university  philosophy  had  poorly  prepared  him  to 
understand  that  grand  and  profound,  scholastic. 
However,  he  did  not  allow  himself  to  be  discou- 
raged, and  little  by  little  he  familiarized  himself 
with  a  language  and  a  method  so  novel  to  him. 

This  may  seem  strange,  but  it  was  his  way,  and 
all  who  have  ever  lived  with  him  will  recognize 
him  by  this  characteristic.  Moreover,  we  are  giv- 
ing here  the  personal  recollections  of  a  yenerable 
priest  who  was  his  director  the  following  year, 
and  who  adds,  speaking  with  a  full  knowledge  of 
his  subject  :  "  That  diligent  study  of  St.  Thomas 
was  later  of  great  use  to  him  in  the  conversions  ho 
undertook,  and  in  which  it  was  my  privilege  to  co- 
operate." 

It  was  no  easy  matter  to  induce  his  father  to 
accept  this  new  direction  of  his  ideas,  and  especially 
these  excursions  into  the  domain  of  theology,  a 


Service  on  Shore. 


99 


and 

nize 
giv- 

rable 
ear, 
e  of 
ma3 
she 
0  co- 

ler  to 

jially 


country  which  he  esteemed  to  bo  peopled  ^vith  chi- 
meras, and  knew  only  through  the  descriptions 
given  sometimes  by  the  fine  writers  of  the  SicclCf  in 
which  his  confidence  was  extreme. 

Mr.  Clerc  enquired  if  his  son  did  not  intend  to 
resume  his  plan,  pursued  before  his  voyage  to  Ga- 
bon, of  entering  Public  Instruction,  or  at  least  of 
securing  admittance  to  that  career  by  taking  the 
degree  of  doctor  of  sciences.  Called  upon  to  ex- 
plain himself,  Alexis  did  so  with  his  usual  frank- 
ness :  **  You  have  asked  me,  dear  father,  if  I  puri)oso 
carrying  out  the  plan  I  started  on  two  years  ago  of 
having  myself  dubbed  a  doctor.  I  think  no  more 
about  it.  You  know  that  there  remained  for  me, 
in  order  to  receive  the  degree,  to  propose  and  sus- 
tain a  thesis  ;  therefore  I  shall  neither  gain  nor 
lose  anything  by  letting  the  project  rest  just  where 
it  is  as  long  as  I  desire,  and  I  am  not  anxious  to 
pursue  it.  Many  of  the  reasons  that  urged  me  no 
longer  exist.  I  no  longer  propose  to  leave  the 
navy,  and  I  should  do  so  regretfully  if  circum- 
stances almost  obliged  me.      Do  you  remember 

when  I  was  with  Mr.  de  S ?  *    I  tried  all  sorts 

of  trades,  and  found  in  each  such  difficulties  that 
I  abandoned  it  directly  ;  it  is  just  the  same  with 
the  one  I  have  now,  but  the  next  would  be  the 
same  too.  Decidedly,  instead  of  changing  a  condi- 
tion to  find  one  to  suit;  his  character  better,  it  is 
more  reasonable  in  a  man  when  ho  is  already  fixed 
to  accommodate  himself  to  circumstances.      It  is 

*Not  the  intimate  friend  designated  by  the  same  initial. 
This  gentleman  was  the  head  of  uii  iu<ititutiou. 


100 


Aic.vis  Cicrc. 


the  deceitful  hope  of  a  happiness  that  docs  not 
exist  wliich  is  the  source  of  so  mucli  useless  agita- 
tion. You  will,  perhaps,  tliink  me  ridiculous 
enough  to  consider  as  a  fortunate  discovery  of  mine 
these  good,  plain  truths,  which  are  so  simple  as  to 
almost  belong  to  common  sense.  Uowevcr,  I  did 
not  find  them  out  all  alone;  they  are  among  the 
happy  secrets  I  have  learned  the  past  year. 

**  Why  should  I  not  speak  to  you  openly  ? 
Since  a  j'oar  ago  I  am  a  devotee ;  for  the  space  of 
a  year  I  have  made  it  my  whole  study  to  learn  and 
practise  our  religion.  Having  so  much  of  my 
time  unoccupied  by  my  duties  as  a  sailor,  I  con- 
sider that  I  am  under  obligations  to  instruct 
myself  in  this  most  important  matter  ;  and  this, 
my  dear  father,  is  why  the  x'b  are  left  perfectly 
tranquil,  and  why  I  live  with  huge  worm-eaten 
Latin  books  of  the  Middle  Ages.  I  do  not  tell 
you  that  this  is  very  attractive  ;  no,  it  is  even 
sometimes  very  wearisome ;  but  all  sciences  are  the 
same — the  elemen  ts  of  them  are  tedious.  Neverthe- 
less I  love  this  study,  and  it  has  already  afforded 
me  more  jileasurc  than  all  the  others  I  have  pur- 
sued." 

Thus,  ideas  of  faith,  the  sentiment  of  duty  ful- 
filled without  pleasure  or  attraction,  fixed  him  in 
his  career  of  a  gaiior — a  career  to  which  we  shall 
see  him  growing  more  and  more  attached  with  an 
austere  and  disinterested  love,  until  the  day  when 
he  will  feel  himself  imperiously  called  to  a  holier 
vocation.  Ruled  by  this  sentiment  of  faith,  he  will 
persevers  iu  the  studies  he  has  undertaken,  not 


Service  on  Shore. 


lOI 


y  fui- 

im  in 
shall 
th  an 
when 
holier 
10  will 
n,  not 


only  while  his  service  on  shore  assures  him 
abundant  leisure,  hut  also  during  those  remote  ex- 
pedition! when  the  cares  of  a  commander  would 
have  sufliccd  him  for  occupation  if  he  had  not  had 
the  matter  so  much  at  heart.  In  fact,  the  ** Sum- 
ma  "  of  St.  Thomas  of  Aquin  had  become  his  night- 
ly companion.  Twenty  years  later  it  was  worth 
while  hearing  him  talk  of  the  Angelic  Doctor. 
With  the  understanding  of  his  doctrine,  attraction, 
liking,  had  come,  then  enthusiasm;  his  admira- 
tion was  not  cooled  by  being  enlightened,  and 
nothing  equalled  his  respect  for  the  decisions  of 
that  prince  of  theologians. 

Meanwhile  the  reading  of  St.  Thomas,  engaging 
as  it  had  become  for  him,  did  not  make  him  lose 
his  ground  in  other  things;  far  from  that,  he  took 
more  interest  than  before  in  his  profession  of  a 
sailor,  and  if  he  happened  to  meet  among  his  fel- 
lows or  his  superiors  an  officer  of  merit  from  whom 
there  was  good  reason  to  expect  great  usefulness  in 
the  service  of  his  country,  he  was  so  delighted  that 
he  eould  s«arcely  eontain  himself.  lie  had  this 
good  fortane  the  following  year  (1848)  on  board 
the  Cajfardllj  a  ship  which,  notwithstanding  its 
favorable  record,  had  to  be  put  under  repair  on 
account  of  certain  faults  of  construction.  Tlic 
Caffarclliy  a  steam  frigate,  was  subject  to  the 
orders  of  Commander  Mallet,  a  friend  and  rela- 
tive of  Madame  Pag^s,  and  consequently  well  dis- 
posed towards  our  ensign,  who  had  from  earliest 
childhood  been  intimate  with  the  Pages  family. 
But  there  was  among  the  officers  of  the  Cajfarelli 


102 


Alexis  Clcrc. 


I 


another  who  gained  Alexia*  esteem  and  affection 
at  the  very  first.  As  this  officer  has  since  fully 
corresponded  to  the  promise  he  gave  while  as  yet 
only  captain  of  a  corvette,  we  will  copy  from  a 
confidential  correspondence  a  few  lines  that  refer 
to  him,  judging  that  they  will  not  be  without  in- 
terest, or  even  profit,  to  men  of  the  same  profession 
who  may  chance  to  read  them  : 

"  We  have  on  board  the  Caffarelli  a  real  gem. 
He  is  the  Captain  (of  a  corvette)  DIdelot,  now 
acting  as  lieutenant-commander ;  *  one  of  those 
men  of  upright,  keen,  and  strong  character  who 
join  to  their  intrinsic  worth  a  gift  of  fascination 
which  nobody  can  resist.  As  soon  as  one  knows 
them  one  esteems  and  loves  them.  As  the  ship  is 
and  will  be  managed  by  him,  it  is  a  real  happiness 
for  us  to  ha 76  him.  I  will  give  you  an  example  of 
the  way  he  understands  the  service.  You  know 
that  on  a  Government  vessel  each  division  of  the 
labor  is  under  the  special  direction  of  an  officer. 
One  has  the  artillery,  another  the  rigging,  a  third 
the  helm  ;  the  care  of  the  hull  and  the'arrangement 
of  the  supplies  belong  to  another.  My  lot  on  the 
Caffarelli  is  the  engine.  On  many  vessels  things 
are  fixed  so  only  in  name,  and  in  reality  it  is  the 
lieutenant  com.mander  who  does  all  tho  work. 
On  other  vessels  each  officer  attends  to  his  charge 
in  obedience  to  the  orders  of  the  commander  and 
the  lieutenant.  It  is  so  on  onr  ship.  There 
would  be  nothing  unusual  in  this  if  the  lieutenant 

*  Admiral  Baron  Didelot  is  now  President  of  the  Board  of 
Naval  Works. 


Service  on  Shore. 


103 


the 
icer. 


lent 
the 

the 
rork. 
[arge 

and 
Ihere 

lant 

Ird  of 


commander  had  not  asked  me  for  a  plan  of  ap- 
pointing the  men  for  the  engine,  a  plan  for  the 
use  of  the  engine  itself,  and  a  plan  of  a  journal  of 
the  engine.  It  is  very  clear  that  this  does  not  bind 
him  to  anything,  and  that  he  will  do  in  these  dif- 
ferent respects  whatever  he  pleases  ;  but  it  is  also 
clear  that  if  he  judges  and  decides  questions,  as  is 
his  right  and  duty,  he  does  it  only  after  having 
considered  the  suggestions  he  may  receive  from  all 
quarters.  The  officers  will  naturally  bo  led  to  take 
interest  in  the  general  welfare,  since  they  have  been 
consulted  as  to  its  direction.  This  is  in  my  opin- 
ion an  intelligent  method  of  acting  wh^ch  cannot 
be  in  the  least  prejudicial  to  authority,  and  the 
result  of  which  will  be  the  improvement  of  the 
thing  itself  and  the  satisfaction  of  the  officers." 

It  seems  to  us  that  this  is  not  bad  reasoning,  and 
that  our  ensign  was  being  well  prepared  for  a  wise 
and  firm  exercise  of  authority.  Thus  was  being 
formed  in  him  the  accomplished  sailor,  the  skilful 
officer  understanding  both  men  and  his  profession, 
while  he  was  at  the  same  time  growing  daily  into 
the  perfect  Christian  whose  only  ambition  was  to 
live  and  die  for  Jesus  Christ. 

Let  us  look  through  his  letters  to  his  brother 
Jules,  letters  in  which  he  poured  out  his  soul, 
thus  leaving  us  unconsciously  a  picture  of  his  in- 
terior and  a  history  of  his  spiritual  life  ;  in  this 
way  we  will  assist  at  his  progress  in  the  practice  of 
Christian  perfection,  and  may  we  profit  by  his  gene- 
rous example,  as  well  as  by  the  precious  counsels 
which  the  tenderest  and  most  devoted  fraternal 


I  Hi* 


m 

% 


J 


104 


Alexis  Clerc. 


friendship  inspired  him  to  give  when  the  oppor- 
tunity offered. 

Ilia  brother  had  suffered  some  (I  know  not  what) 
wholly  unexpected  disappointment  that  had  greatly 
disturbed  his  soul.  Alexis  congratulates  him  on 
this  trial,  which  he  regards  as  a  mark  of  God's  favor, 
but  he  amicably  blames  him  for  not  having  had  re- 
course at  the  very  first  to  the  true  physician  and 
the  true  remedy  :  "  \Yhcn  we  find  ourselves  in  your 
case,  and  when  all  possible  efforts  have  been  made  ; 
when  we  fail  by  the  result  of  circumstances  quite 
beyond  our  control ;  when  we  have  used  to  the  ut- 
most all  human  means,  it  is  Almighty  God  who  has 
decided  the  matter.  We  must  gracefully  submit ; 
there  is  even  real  cause  to  congratulate  ourselves 
that  he  has  deigned  to  try  us,  for  he  exactly  pro- 
portions the  crown  of  triumph  to  the  difficulty  of 
the  combat.  The  only  thing  to  be  regretted  is 
that  you  did  not  go  immediately  to  the  Abbe  de  la 
Bouillerie,  who  would  very  soon  have  consoled  you. 
A  man  does  not  go  to  the  doctor  when  he  is  well, 
and  it  is  especially  when  he  is  not  at  peace  with 
himself  that  he  should  seek  the  ministers  of  peace. 
If  we  went  to  them  only  when  we  were  perfectly 
joyful  we  would  never  go.  If  we  avoid  the  priests 
in  our  soul-diseases,  it  is  either  because  we  are 
ashamed  to  manifest  them  or  we  hope  to  cure  our- 
selves better  alone.  All  these  are  snares  which  we 
must  guard  against.  I  do  not  tell  you  this  because 
I  regard  your  silence  towards  Abbe  de  la  Bouillerie 
as  a  very  grave  fault,  I  tell  it  only  in  a  general  way. 
As  is  my  custom,  I  seize   by  the  hair  all  oppor- 


Service  on  Shore, 


105 


tunitiea  of  preaching.  I  know  well  that  you  have 
been  pressed  by  a  thousand  different  matters,  and 
that  you  have  not  had  leisure  to  look  well  into 
your  heart.  And  tnen  you  are  afraid  of  troubling 
Abbe  de  la  Bouillerie.  .  .  .  This  last  is  not  com- 
mon sense,  first  because  Abbe  de  la  Bouillerie  loves 
you  deeply  and  you  do  not  annoy  him,  and  second- 
ly because  if  even  you  sliould  annoy  him  he  would 
very  quickly  tell  you  that  he  is  not  at  his  post  to  be 
amused,  and  that  he  would  prefer  that  you  should 
visit  him  too  often  rather  than  not  often  enough.'' 

Beheld  the  idea  he  had  already  formed  of  the 
sacred  ministry  and  of  the  duties  it  imposes  !  Let 
us  say  it  to  the  honor  of  the  French  clergy  that  it 
is  thus  regarded  by  all  good  priests,  and  they  are 
not  rare,  thank  God  !  Clerc  had  experience  of 
this  during  the  whole  time  he  spent  on  the  coast  of 
Brittany  ;  everywhere  he  met  excellent  priests,  who 
were  at  the  same  time  the  fathers  of  his  soul  and 
his  devoted  friends,  and  it  is  owing  to  the  kindness 
of  several  of  them  whom  we  did  not  apply  to  in 
vain,  that  we  have  been  able  to  discover  here  and 
there  traces  of  our  hero  in  spite  of  his  frequent 
changes  of  residence  occasioned  by  the  necessities 
of  the  service. 

About  that  time,  probably  in  1848,  he  made  a 
retreat  at  La  Trappo  do  la  Meilleraic,  and  it  was 
doubtless  there  that  the  possibility  of  a  sacerdotal 
vocation  began  for  the  first  time  to  dawn  upon  him. 
At  least  we  infer  this  from  his  reflections  upon  the 
choice  of  a  state  of  life  in  a  letter  to  his  brother, 
Avhose  future  was  not  yet  entirely  fixed. 


M 


io6 


Alexis  Clerc. 


**  My  clear  Jules,  the  choice  of  a  career  is  one 
of  the  most  important  things  a  man  can  be  called 
upon  to  do.  Very  few  persons  have  it  in  their 
power  to  exchange  one  for  another.  Yet  it  is 
generally  very  seldom  that  a  man  is  satisfied  with 
the  one  chosen  at  first ;  I  will  say  more,  it  is  sel- 
dom that  he  has  reason  to  be.  And  if  the  career 
you  have  embraced  is  not  suitable  for  you,  you  are 
vowed  to  unprofitable  tribulations  without  allevia- 
tion and  without  result.  Let  us  put  aside  all  that 
arises  from  a  fickle  disposition  or  from  exaggerated 
desires  of  happiness.  The  cause  of  these  bad  selec- 
tions is  that  we  make  them  without  God.  Instead 
of  weighing  the  pecuniary  advantages,  the  har- 
monies with  our  taste  and  capacity,  vain  and  fleet- 
ing things  I  we  should  have  no  other  object  in  view 
save  the  supreme  one,  our  eternal  life.  This  life  is 
but  the  portal,  the  other  is  the  temple.  If,  ridding 
ourselves  of  all  ambitious  desires,  of  all  desire  of 
fortune,  of  all  self-pleasing,  we  regard  our  career 
as  the  way  by  which  we  are  to  go  to  God,  as  the 
means  of  pleasing  him  in  this  life,  of  lending  our- 
selves to  the  part  he  has  imposed  upon  us,  and 
which  we  must  perform  with  hearty  good-will  in 
order  to  carry  out  the  harmony  of  his  eternal  plans  ; 
and  if,  in  our  ignorance  of  what  this  part  is,  wo 
beg  him  with  confidence  and  submission  to  make 
it  known  to  us,  ho  will  certainly  do  so.  My  good 
Jules,  you  and  I  have  acted  differently,  and  many 
others  with  us.  Therefore  our  choice  is  certainly 
bad,  not  perhaps  because  we  both  of  us  have  an 
employment  other  than  the  one  God  intended  for 


Service  on  Shore. 


107 


in 
ms ; 

we 

[ako 

mod 

any 

|inly 

an 

for 


us,  for  it  is  in  his  providence  to  use  even  the  de- 
praved will  of  man  for  liis  perfect  ends,  and  it 
belongs  to  him  to  draw  good  out  of  evil  itself ;  but 
our  choice  is  bad  on  account  of  the  motives  which 
determined  us  to  it." 

After  entering  into  certain  considerations  en- 
tirely personal,  he  concludes  by  exhorting  his  bro- 
ther to  serve  God  at  any  cost,  and  to  aek  of  him 
the  means  of  succeeding  in  doing  this.  "  This  is 
all,  and  the  rest  is  nothing.  I  do  not  need  to  tell 
you  that  no  matter  with  what  energy  we  search  for 
happiness,  we  will  not  find  it  outside  of  God.  His 
purpose  will  always  be  accomplished,  whether  we 
desire  it  or  no  ;  all  our  wisdom,  all  our  merit,  con- 
sists in  conforming  our  will  to  his.  If,  after  hav- 
ing earnestly  implored  his  light,  this  project  grows 
upon  you  more  and  more  ;  if,  especially,  the  super- 
natural motives  that  may  urge  you  to  it  increase  ;  if 
you  feel  that  you  will  be  obeying  the  Yoice  of  God,  do 
not  hesitate  a  moment,  and  enter  with  confidence 
upon  your  new  career.  If  these  precious  motives 
do  not  influence  you,  you  will  undertake  a  busi- 
ness not  bad  perhaps,  but  indifferent.  If,  finally, 
they  are  in  opposition  to  your  new  ideas,  and  yet, 
nevertheless,  you  execute  these  ideas,  it  will  be  a 
great  misfortune." 

During  a  trip  through  Germany  his  brother  had 
a  scruple  about  leaving  unanswered  the  irreverent 
remarks  of  Protestants  against  the  Catholic  reli- 
gion. Taken  literally,  the  old  proverb.  He  lolio  is 
silent  consents^  was  the  condemnation  of  his  silence  ; 
nevertheless,  something  told  him  that  he  had  not 


io8 


Alexis  Clerc. 


>^'  !|: 


erred  iii  avoiding  fruitless  cc  ^troversies.  Alexis, 
who  was  of  the  same  opinion,  suggested  to  him 
some  yery  wise  reflections  on  the  subject : 

"  In  the  first  place,  it  is,  as  you  think,  quite  use- 
less to  carry  on  arguments  with  Protestants.  This 
is  one  of  the  cases  in  which  we  ought  not  to  fight 
even  for  principles.  I  say  fight;  we  ought  not 
to  even  discuss,  Ii  your  Protestants  want  to  argue, 
listen  to  them  only  as  far  as  politeness  will  not 
permit  you  to  do  otherwise.  If  they  viant  to  learn, 
recommend  them  to  read  Bossuet's  *  Hlstoiro  des 
Variations.'  In  this  way  you  will  satisfy  both 
charity  and  prudence.  But  tell  me,  are  not  Ger- 
man Protestants  like  oars  ? — that  is  to  say,  if  they 
occupy  themselves  with  religious  matters  at  all,  is 
it  not  as  pure  deists,  or,  to  speak  more  exactly,  as 
Socinians,  and  if  they  do  not  agitate  dogmatic 
questions,  is  it  not  because  they  are  entirely  indif- 
ferent ?  Do  you  know  of  any  among  them  who 
have  really  a  religion — who  pray  ?  .  .  .  I  would  be 
very  much  interested  in  hearing  your  judgment 
formed  from  observation  of  tlie  religious  state  of 
the  people  of  those  unfortunate  states. 

'^It  may  be  hard  for  you  not  to  be  always  able 
to  reply  to  their  objections  and  attacks.  What  this 
costs  your  self-love  I  do  not  care  to  diminish,  but 
what  there  is  in  it  that  may  wound  your  faith  I 
would  like  to  dissipate.  To  begin,  do  you  think 
that  the  quickness  of  repartee  which  would  enable 
you  to  have  the  last  word,  is  a  quality  of  faith  ? 
Do  you  think  that  a  most  skilful  man,  a  profound 
theologian,  can  refute  all  objections  on  the  spot  ? 


Service  on  Shore. 


109 


able 
this 
but 
tb  I 
"link 
lable 
litb  ? 

)0t? 


SL  Thomas  of  Aqnin  was  once  dining  at  the  table 
of  St.  Louis.  Suddenly  he  cried  out,  *  Tliat  is  con- 
clusive acjainst  the  Maniclicans.*  He  had  just 
found  an  unanswerable  argument,  and  he  forgot 
himself,  like  Archimedes.  St.  Louis,  far  from  being 
offended  by  this  distraction  and  this  odd  outcry, 
ordered  his  secretary  to  then  and  there  take  down 
the  precious  argument.  You  see,  then,  that  you 
are  very  excusable  in  not  being  able  to  reply  to 
everything.  Moreover,  conversations  are  very  bad 
theological  arenas.  When  we  think  of  the  rapidity 
with  which  conversation  glides  from  one  subject  to 
another,  how  it  is  always  unsystematic,  superficial, 
futile,  we  should  not  hesitate  to  proscribe  from  it 
matters  so  complicated,  so  profound,  and  so  neces- 
sary as  theological  matters.  Be,  then,  perfectly 
easy  on  this  subject." 

Alexis  was  in  continual  fear  lest  his  brother, 
dragged  into  tlie  vortex  of  business,  as  the  phrase  is, 
would  not  have  the  necessary  time  for  recollection, 
for  meditation  and  prayer,  practices  without  which 
he  did  not  understand  the  Christian  life.  In  the 
advice  he  gives  Jules  we  feel  that  he  speaks  in  good 
earnest  from  his  own  personal  experience  : 

**  I  want  to  improve  the  opportunity  of  this  let- 
ter,  which  I  assure  you  is  growing  much  longer 
than  I  intended,  to  seriously  recommend  you  to  use 
every  day  the  beads  I  gave  you.  If  you  have  lost 
them  I  engage  to  furnish  you  another  pair.  I  have 
a  supply.  The  Beads  is  an  excellent  devotion 
which  was  not  invented  by  even  the  saints,  but 
which  the  Blessed  Virgin  herself  revealed  to  one  of 


if' 


no 


Aii'xis  Clerc. 


m^ 


her  servants.  It  ia  not  only  good  for  people  who 
cannot  read  ;  it  is  very  good,  very  profitable  for  the 
most  learned. 

"  Perhaps  you  have  not  time  to  say  the  beads  all 
at  once.  Very  well,  say  them  in  several  parts.  If 
you  cannot  say  them  entirely  each  day,  say  as  much 
as  you  can.  Go  to  sleep  in  trying  to  finish  when 
you  are  behindhand.  It  is  not  at  all  displeasing  to 
the  Blessed  Virgin  for  us  to  go  to  sleep  murmur- 
ing her  most  sweet  name,  and  she  will  not  fail  to 
protect  during  the  night  him  who  has  commended 
himself  to  her  with  his  last  waking  breath.  Do  not 
be  afraid  of  performing  a  mechanical  devotion. 
Do  not  say,  *  I  am  so  tired  that  only  my  voice 
prays  ;  my  mind  is  already  asleep.'  In  the  first 
place,  if  we  pray  only  when  we  feel  our  heart  en- 
kindled we  will  not  pray  often  ;  in  the  second 
place,  it  is  by  praying  at  first  badly,  mechanically, 
with  the  voice  only  and  half-asleep,  that  wc  will 
obtain  the  power  to  pray  better." 

He  had  this  point  so  much  at  heart  that,  two 
years  later,  at  the  moment  of  starting  for  China, 
he  again  renewed  his  recommendations.  How 
earnest  and  pressing  they  are  !  In&ta  opijortuney 
importu7ie,  was  his  device. 

"  In  Paris  we  may  say  that  nobody  lives  reason- 
ably, neither  those  who  are  rich,  on  account  of 
their  manners  and  their  luxury,  nor  those  who  are 
not,  on  account  of  the  superhuman  efforts  they 
make  to  acquire  riches.  This  particular  character- 
istic of  Paris  cannot  have  escaped  you  who  have 
travelled  so  extensively.   Such  excess  is  deplorable, 


Service  on  Shore, 


III 


two 
Uiina, 
How 

jason- 
mt  of 
10  arc 

they 
[•acter- 

bave 
arable, 


as  I  have  tried  to  show  in  a  letter  I  wrote  father, 
and  of  which  ho  approved,  telling  me  that  he 
would  endeavor  to  niuko  you  appreciate  it.  It  does 
not  appear  that  I  have  gained  much  success ;  but 
to  preach  is  my  castom.  However,  reflect  upon  it 
yourself,  and  we  will  see  if  you  do  not  think  dif- 
ferently then.  But  I  believe  the  trouble  lies 
more  in  the  difficulty  of  resisting  the  general  cur- 
rent ;  and,  in  fact,  I,  who  in  Paris  have  nothing  to 
do,  am  hardly  able  to  struggle  against  it.  On  the 
other  hand,  it  is  right  and  necessary  to  labor  with 
one's  whole  strength.  Moreover,  it  is  very  difH- 
cult  to  determine  the  time  to  give  to  leisure. 
Finally,  a  man  in  business  is  not  a  Carthusian. 
One  should,  nevertheless,  guard  against  that  im- 
moderate agitation  which  passes  for  deliberate  ac- 
tivity, that  tumult  of  ideas  which  is  mistaken  for 
mental  labor.  Meanwhile,  if,  with  the  intention 
of  not  allowing  yourself  to  be  carried  away  by  that 
species  of  excitement,  you  will  observe  a  certain 
little  practice,  I  trust  you  will  come  out  in  the  end 
safe  and  sound. 

"  It  is  to  consecrate  a  half-hour  every  morning 
to  meditation.  Let  it  be  your  first  act  after  rising ; 
let  nothing  hinder  you  from  it.  By  occupying 
yourself  with  spiritual  things  during  that  space  of 
time  you  will  not  only  render  to  God  the  homage 
you  owe  him,  but,  in  addition,  you  will  receive  all 
the  graces  with  which  God  rewards  an  action  that 
is  pleasing  to  him.  Advancement  in  piety  is  a 
certain  consequence  of  daily  meditation.  Do  not 
forget  thdt  all  good  counsel  comes  from  God — all. 


112 


A/cvis  Clcrc. 


even  what  relates  to  tlio  things  oi'  this  world.  It 
is  nuturiil  that  God  should  give  it  to  the  man  who 
consults  him  frequently  and  whoso  ear  is  attentive 
to  his  voice.  Such  is  the  fruit  of  meditation.  If 
)ou  find  this  exercise  somewhat  dillicult,  you  must 
not  ho  less  persevering  in  it.  The  devil  has  nothing 
so  much  at  heart  as  the  preventing  us  from  medi- 
tating, for  nothing  gives  us  more  strength  against 
him.  But  there  is  a  method  for  meditation  which 
greatly  din-.nishcs  its  natural  difficulties. 

**It  is  to  read  the  evening  before,  in  a  hook  ex- 
pressly for  the  purpose — and  there  are  many  of 
them — the  subject  of  the  meditation,  with  the 
principal  points  marked  out.  A  quarter  of  an 
hour  should  bo  devoted  every  evening  to  taking 
this  prcvioucly-masticated  food  ;  the  night  will 
prepare  it,  and  in  the  morning  it  can  be  digested 
and  relished  without  too  much  trouble.  For  tho 
choice  of  a  book  and  for  the  details  of  this  method 
consult  your  director." 

Had  he,  then,  already  renounced  the  world,  he 
who  wrote  letters  that  reveal  so  much  experience 
of  the  interior  life  ?  No,  not  yet;  but,  to  tell  tho 
truth,  ho  was  very  near  it ;  he  was  of  the  num- 
ber of  those  Christians  who,  conforming  their 
lives  to  the  counsels  of  the  apostle,  know  how 
to  use  the  world  as  if  they  used  it  not  (I. 
Cor.  vii.  31).  In  his  different  stations  on  tho 
coast  of  Brittany,  at  Lorient,  Brest,  Indret, 
everywhere,  he  left  this  impression  of  a  man  dead 
to  the  world,  still  wearing  its  liveries,  but  belong- 
ing heart  and  soul  to  the  valiant  legion  of  the 


Service  on  Shore. 


113 


he 
lewce 

the 
mm- 
their 

how 

a- 

the 

Idret, 
Idcad 

long- 
the 


strongholds  of  iFmcl.  His  old  companions,  wlicn 
they  came  to  sec  him,  beheld  with  their  own  eyes, 
and  not  without  astonishment,  or  learned  from 
public  report,  this  udmiruble  change.  One  of 
them  arrived  at  Indret  during  the  autumn  of 
1849,  and  requested  to  visit  tiio  manufactories. 
As  soon  as  he  introduced  himself  as  a  former  pupil 
of  the  Polytechnic  School  every  door  was  opened 
to  him.  But  this  was  not  all  he  wanted  ;  ho  de- 
sired to  sec  LillU  Clerc,  and  the  hope  of  renewing 
acquaintance  with  him  was  the  chief  attraction,  if 
not  the  real  object,  of  his  journey  to  Indret.  Un- 
fortunately, Clerc  was  for  the  moment  engaged 
with  Commander  Bourgois  in  studying  on  the 
Loire  a  series  of  experiments  relative  to  the  differ- 
ent forms  of  screw-propellers.  The  visitor  was 
much  disappointed.  To  console  him,  an  engineer 
of  naval  constructions  said  to  him :  "  Wait  until 
Sunday.  He  will  certainly  return  for  Communion. 
Then  you  can  see  him  as  much  as  you  want."  To 
his  great  regret,  this  dear  comrade  could  not  wait 
for  Clerc's  return  ;  he  left  not  a  little  edified  by 
what  he  had  heard. 

Another  in  Brest,  frequenting  the  same  chapel 
and  occupying  a  place  very  near  Clerc  during  the 
Holy  Sacrifice,  often  remarked  the  fervor  of  his 
devotion,  which  was  especially  manifest  when  he 
came  from  the  holy  table.  Back  on  his  kneeling- 
bcnch,  he  was  lost  in  profound  meditation,  and  hid 
his  face  in  his  hands.  If  he  raised  his  head  for  an 
instant  his  cheeks  were  seen  to  be  wet  with  tears. 

There  arrived  in  this  same  city  a  naval  officer 


114 


Alexis  Clerc. 


whom  Alexis  when  lio  left  Valparaiso  bad  request- 
ed to  furnish  him  for  his  return  to  Franco  with 
introductions  to  some  Cliristian  friends,  members 
of  u  Conference  of  St.  Vincent  de  Paul.  Know- 
ing him  to  be  attached  to  the  port  of  Brest,  this 
officer  made  it  his  lirst  business  to  enquire  for  his 
old  companion.  IIo  was  told  that  he  was  absent, 
and  to  this  information  was  added  the  best  of  ac- 
counts. **  Your  friend  is  the  most  zealous  of  us 
all,  our  model  in  everything,  and  the  mainspring 
of  all  our  good  works.  If  he  were  here,  ah  !  you 
would  already  have  met  him  escorted  by  a  legion 
of  children  of  whom  ho  is  the  schoolmaster,  or 
rather  the  father,  and  to  whom  he  distributes  with 
the  food  of  the  body  that  of  the  soul.  Alwa3's 
ready  to  do  his  utmost  he  allows  himself  but 
little  rest." 

And  in  truth,  according  to  the  testimony  of  the 
worthy  ecclesiastics  who  were  then  acquainted 
with  all  the  secrets  of  his  soul,  he  excelled  in 
equalizing  his  cliarity  and  mortification,  two  vir- 
tues whose  mutual  agreement  is  generally  profit- 
able to  both.  The  Abbe  Guillet,*  his  pastor  and 
director  during  the  whole  of  his  sojourn  at  Indret, 
informs  us  how  ho  apportioned  his  modest  salaiy. 
Each  month  he  divided  it  into  thrpe  parts ;  the 
first  was  for  his  venerated  father,  the  second  for 
the  poor,  and  the  third  and  smallest  for  his  personal 
maintenance.  After  this  he  still  managed  to  save 
some  of  his  own  portion  for  charity,  and  he  im- 

*  The  Abbd  Guillet  has  recently  died  pastor  of  St.  Nicholas 
of  Nantes. 


Service  on  Shore. 


115 


r 


the 
ited 

in 
\ir- 
ofit- 
and 
iret, 
laiy. 

the 

for 
onal 
save 

im- 

kbolas 


posed  such  privations  upon  himself  that  his  supe- 
rior olhccr,  Commander  Bourgois,  fearing  for  his 
health,  had  to  interfere.  His  spirit  of  mortifica- 
tion was  so  great,  anotlicr  member  of  the  Breton 
clergy  *  assures  us,  thiit  during  Lent  he  limited 
himself  to  a  plate  of  thick  Trappist  soup  per  day. 

Anybody  else  in  his  place  would  have  thought 
that  prudence  commanded  him  to  lay  aside  a  few 
crowns,  and  to  amass  a  little  sum  against  unex- 
pected emergencies  which  might  suddenly  em- 
barrass an  officer  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties,  or 
even  cut  him  short  in  his  career.  Cler""  did  not 
reason  so ;  his  generosity  would  not  bo  shackled 
by  any  calculation  or  any  anticipation  of  the 
future.  "As  to  the  money  you  are  unwilling  to 
take,"  on  one  occasion  he  wrote  to  nis  brother 
who  refused  to  draw  from  his  purse,  "  remember 
well  that  it  is  not  mine,  for  you  know  that  all,  ab- 
solutely all,  that  we  do  not  need  belongs  to  the 
poor."  All  that  he  did  not  need,  his  superfluous 
money,  was  all  that  was  not  rigorously  necessary 
for  his  maintenance,  and  God  knows  how  little  he 
lived  upon.  He  denied  himself  the  most  innocent 
pleasures,  even  so  far  as  to  limit  the  replenishing 
of  his  snuff-box,  a  subject  about  which  he  would 
jest  pleasantly,  being  always  the  first  one  to  laugh 
at  his  pennilessness,  as  ho  called  the  excess  of  his 
voluntary  poverty. 

"Now,"  he  continued,  speaking  of  chc  money 
he  had  vainly  tried  to  induce  his  brother  to  ac- 

*  The  Abbd  Gudguenon,  pastor  of  St.  Martin  of  Morlaix. 
It  was  in  Brest  that  he  was  Clerc's  spiritual  director. 


V 


ii6 


Aicxis  Clerc. 


cept,  "  since  I  have  no  immediate  need  of  it,  it  is 
superfluous  ;  if  you,  likewise,  have  no  need  of  it,  I 
do  not  propose  to  keep  it,  but  shall  pay  it  to 
others." 

Thus,  in  his  estimation,  lie  did  not  give,  hojoaid, 
to  the  poor,  believing  he  fulfilled  a  duty  of  justice 
in  appropriating  to  them  all  he  could  spare.  Need 
we  explain  this  matter  to  the  reader  ?  The  se- 
verest morality  does  not  go  as  far  as  this,  and  does 
not  claim,  even  for  the  poor,  under  the  name  of 
superfluity,  all  we  have  left  after  we  have  gener- 
ously provided  for  our  own  necessities.  Clerc  had 
to  rcclify  his  ideas  of  alms-giving  when  as  a  priest 
it  was  his  part  to  apply  them  to  others ;  still,  wo 
must  confess  that  there  is  something  beautiful  in 
deceiving  one's  self  in  his  fasliion,  and  that  such 
self-deception  is  not  dangerous  for  people  of  the 
world,  whose  rigorism  has  no  consequences  save  to 
themselves. 

We  have  thought  that  as  Clerc  had  for  a  witness 
of  his  life  at  that  time  a  distinguished  officer,  a 
capable  judge  of  all  kinds  of  merit,  it  was  our 
duty  to  seek  information  from  so  precious  a  source, 
and  this  is  what  Admiral  Bourgois,  yielding  to  our 
desires,  sent  us  in  reply  :  "  These  memories  are 
already  far  in  the  past.  Nevertheless,  I  have  not 
forgotten  that  the  young  ensign  showed  at  that 
epoch  (1849)  a  maturity  of  judgment  and  a  con- 
•  scientious  and  prudent  zeal  which,  joined  to  a 
solid  education  and  a  most  upright  character,  gave 
promise  of  a  very  excellent  naval  officer.  The  de- 
sire of  being  useful  to  his  fellow-men  by  instruct- 


Service  on  Shore, 


117 


I 


Itness 

ler,  a 
our 

luTce, 
our 
are 

e  not 
that 
con- 
to  a 
gave 
lie  dc- 
truct- 


ing  ilicm  and  improving  them  morally  was  already 
developed  in  hiiii.  An  elementary  school  compris- 
ing the  entire  ship's  crew  had  been  established  on 
board  the  Pelican.  Every  evening  when  the  ship's 
sailing  did  not  prevent,  the  tables  were  carried  to 
the  middle-deck,  and  Ensign  Clerc  directed  the 
school  with  a  patient  and  enlightened  zeal.  lie 
himself  gave  more  advanced  lessons  to  those  of  the 
men  who  aimed  at  becoming  captains  or  mates  in 
the  merchant  marine  service,  or  at  promotion  in 
the  military  marine  service.  I  have  since  met 
several  of  them  who  profited  by  his  instruction  so 
far  as  to  make  careers  for  themselves,  and  who  ex- 
pressed deep  gratitude  for  the  lessons  which  had 
assisted  them  to  do  so." 

These  reminiscences  of  Admiral  Bourgois  agree 
perfectly  with  his  first  impressions  of  Alexis  Clerc 
preserved  in  the  notes  which  he  sent  to  the  Minister 
of  the  Navy  in  July,  1849.  Ilere  is  the  opinion 
he  then  had  of  his  young  and  clever  assistant : 
**'An  extremely  zealous  and  enlightened  officer. 
A  graduate  of  the  Polytechnic  School,  he  com- 
bines with  a  wide  theoretic  knowledge  sufficient 
cxporience  of  a  sailor's  business  and  sufficient  at- 
tachment to  its  duties  to  make  him  in  every  re- 
spect a  remarkable  officer." 

As  to  the  Abbe  Guillct,  who  while  parish  priest 
at  Indret  performed  the  duties  of  naval  chaplain, 
he  congratulated  himself  on  possessing  in  Alexis 
not  only  an  exemplary  parishioner  but  also  an 
auxiliary  rich  in  energy  and  resources,  and  whoso 
greatest  delight  was  to  be  employed  in  all  sorts  of 


% 


)!l 


i 


ij^fc. 


Ii8 


xl  lexis  Clerc, 


i: 


•    ! 


'  ! 


%     > 


good  works  for  the  welfare  of  his  neighbor  and 
the  benefit  of  souls.  Clerc  already,  in  friendly  dis- 
cussions, exercised  himself  valiantly  in  wielding 
the  strong  arms  furnished  him  by  his  inexhaustible 
arsenal,  the  "  Summa  Theologiae"  of  St.  Thomas. 
When  his  comrades  brought  forward  objections 
against  religion,  he  would  reply:  **Is  that  all? 
Truly,  you  are  not  well  supplied  ;  I  will  offer  you 
many  more."  Ilereupon  he  would  propose  to  them 
St.  Tiiomas'  most  serious  objections  to  the  points 
attacked,  and  answer  them  as  the  great  doctor  did. 
"  You  are  right,"  would  bs  his  friends'  yerdict. 
"If  I  am  right  you  should  follow  my  example. 
You  flatter  yourselves  that  the  Catholic  religion  is 
afraid  of  your  objections.  All  of  them,  those  of 
your  most  famous  philosophers  included,  are  only 
scraps  from  St.  Thomas,  who  answered  them  long 
ago  ! "  If  the  persons  whom  he  thus  forced  to 
capitulate  did  not  surrender  unconditionally,  the 
blow  was  struck,  and  later  on  grace  finished  the 
work  of  conversion,  in  which  the  Abbe  Guillet  had 
the  happiness  of  co-operating.  "I  had  not  yet 
established  a  Conference  of  St.  Vincent  de  Paul  at 
Indret,"  adds  that  good  priest.  ''One  morning 
Clerc  came  to  me  and  said  :  '  I  am  not  tranquil ;  I 
believe  that  my  present  position  is  not  the  one  in 
which  God  wants  me.  I  am  not  worthy  to  be  a 
priest,  but  if  the  Pope  should  form  a  Catholic 
army,*  1  would  to-morrow  carry  him  my  epaulets 
and  say  to  him  :   Most  Holy  Father,  I  am  your 

♦Notice  tho  date,  long  anterior  to  the  organization  of  the 
Pontiflcal  Zouaves. 


Service  on  Shore, 


119 


Us- 
ing 
Lblo 
las. 
Lons 

all? 
you 

licm 

oints 
dia. 

diet. 

nple. 

ion  is 

)se  of 

f  only 
long 

ed  to 
the 
dthe 
t  liad 
)t  yet 
lul  at 
irning 
lil;! 
me  in 
lo  be  a 
Itbolic 
laulets 
your 

o£  the 


>  j> 


man.'"  Abbo  Guillet  replied :  "My  dear  friend, 
I  believe  that  you  are  exactly  in  your  place;  for  if 
it  is  necessary  to  have  good  priests  and  good  re- 
ligious, it  is  also  necessary  to  have  good  Christians 
in  the  world  to  edify  it  by  their  example  and  to 
prove  that  in  all  conditions  of  life  it  is  possible  to 
be  truly  Christian.  Thus,  in  this  parish  you  are 
worth  to  me,  you  alone,  a  whole  Conference  of  St. 
Vincent  de  Paul  ! " 

These  ideas  of  vocation,  still  very  vague,  assumed 
consistence  only  little  by  little  after  several 
years  of  service ;  nevertheless,  the  young  officer's 
most  intimate  friends  could  not  help  perceiving  his 
repugnance  to  contract  any  irrevocable  engage- 
ment with  the  world,  and  one  of  his  companions 
who  was  ])ursued  by  the  same  thoughts  and 
touched  by  the  same  grace  was  even  clear-sighted 
enough  to  penetrate  the  projects  which,  as  yet, 
Clerc  concealed  from  himself,  and  which  were  only 
to  be  accomplished  a  long  time  afterwards. 

While  in  Lorient  Clerc  frequented  the  house  of 
Commander  Le  Bobinncc,  one  of  those  old-fash- 
ioned, honest  Breton  houses,  redolent  with  the 
perfume  of  all  the  patriarchal  virtues.  Mr.  Le  Bo- 
binnec,  then  a  ship's  lieutenant  and  already  father 
of  a  family,  had  met  Clerc  in  a  naval  commission 
to  which  thcv  both  belon<2:ed.  *'In  our  first  inter- 
view,"  he  tells  us,  "I  found  in  that  young  officer 
such  unusual  distinction,  joined  to  such  great  mo- 
desty, that  I  felt  drawn  lo  him  on  the  spot.  I  saw 
before  me  not  only  a  fervent  Christian  but  a  thor- 
oughly instructed  Christian.     I  begged  him  not  to 


1,! 


I20 


Alexis  Chrc. 


4: 


forget  that  my  mothcr-iu-hiw  loved  to  receive  till 
the  officers  whom  I  presented  to  her,  and  that  we 
should  esteem  ourselves  happy  if  he  would  kindly 
give  us  all  the  leisure  he  had  to  dispose  of.  My 
mother-in-law,  a  woman  of  great  piety,  appreciated 
him,  and  included  him  in  the  number  of  those  she 
liked  to  call  Iter  children, 

*'  Our  dear  Clerc  accepted  this  adoption  with  his 
ordinary  simplicity,  and  did  not  hesitate  to  fulfil 
its  duties  with  a  naturalness  that  charmed  us." 

Mr.  Le  Bobinnec  here  adds:  "I  must  refrain 
from  giving  to  the  publicity  of  a  biography  many 
details  easier  to  understand  than  to  express.  Let  it 
suffice  for  me  to  say  that  whenever  1  pass  through 
the  Rue  de  Sevres  I  enter  the  Jesuit  Fathers' 
church,  and,  kneeling  on  the  marble  that  covers 
his  remains,  I  cannot  help  saying  to  the  dear  mar- 
tyr :  *  Thou  who  didst  watch  over  the  cradle  of  my 
children,  do  not  forget  them  now.'  " 

Clcrc  loved  children  so  much  !  lie  seemed  so 
happy  when  lioLling  them  on  his  knees  i  Ilis 
friends  thought  he  would  make  a  good  father  of 
family,  and  interested  themselves  in  preparing  for 
him  a  future  suited  to  his  tastes. 

Some  time  later  he  was  in  Xautes  knocking  at 
the  door  of  one  of  the  professors  of  the  royal  col- 
lege. Letters  from  Lorient  had  announced  his 
visit.  He  found  one  of  the  most  respectable  of 
interiors;  the  gentle  seriousness  of  the  Rollins  and 
the  Lhomonds  seemed  to  him  to  hover  over  this 
family.  Besides,  the  dot  was  suitable,  the  young 
lady   perfectly   v/ell-bred  and  fully  deserving    of 


I'lng  at 
il  col- 
jd  liis 
Ible  of 
lis  and 
31-  this 
I  young 
ng    of 


1 


Service  on  Shore, 


121 


esteem.  Although  these  preliminaries  engaged 
him  to  nothing  whatsoever,  Clcro,  like  a  good  son, 
thought  it  his  duty  to  write  about  the  matter  to  his 
father,  from  v/hom  he  kept  no  secrets.  Ilis  letter 
is  curious  on  account  of  the  species  of  embarrass- 
ment visible  in  it  when  he  undertakes  to  sketch  the 
portrait  of  the  lady,  whose  acquaintance  his  father 
would,  of  course,  prefer  to  make  beforehand,  since 
there  was  a  possibility  that  she  might  be  his  daugh- 
ter-in-law some  day.  Conscious  that  he  has  suc- 
ceeded badly  in  this  tasi:  and  has  given  but  a  very 
imperfect  outline,  he  adds  by  way  of  excuse:  "I 
have  seen  her  only  once  and  for  a  rather  short 
time,  and  I  do  not  notice  women  very  much 
and  do  not  look  at  them  very  closely,  especially 
young  ones." 

It  was  a  charming  embarrassment  in  a  man  of  so 
little  natural  limidity,  and  who  had  already  lived 
so  long.  Ho  was  not£0  ingenuous  at  eighteen,  but 
God,  by  the  effusion  of  his  grace,  had  given  him  a 
new  heart  and  had  renewed  his  youth  like  the 
eagle's.     RenovabituriLt  aquikB  juventus  tua. 

He  concludes  his  letter  with  these  words:  *'How- 
ever,  I  am  not  thinking  of  marrying." 

This  was  a  ray  of  light  to  his  i^oor  father,  and 
the  cause  of  an  uneasiness  of  which  we  shall  find 
traces  in  the  rest  of  their  correspondence. 

A  year  passes — eighteen  months.  Clerc  is  now  a 
lieutenant  and  resides  in  Brest  ;  his  fellow-mem- 
bers of  tiie  St.  Vincent  do  Paul  Societv  have  en- 
trusted  to  him  the  duties  of  secretary,  which  ho 
discharges  at  an  evening  reunion  with  the  earnest- 


122 


Alexis  Clerc. 


:;'!!(i^' 


I 


It'''"' 


I! 


m 


ness  and  energy  ho  gives  to  everything.  A  ^lew 
nicmhcr  arrives,  an  ensign.  Tliis  new-comer  is 
himself  urged  to  quit  the  world  hy  a  powerful  at- 
traction which  will  not  bo  long  in  gaining  the  vic- 
tory, lie  has  since  described  to  us  his  impressions 
of  his  new  acquaintance  and  tlic  characteristic  cir- 
cumstances of  this  first  meeting. 

Clei'c  was  not  handsome,  at  least  in  the  Greek 
sense  of  the  word,  and  his  face,  with  its  sharp  out- 
lines, would  not  have  offered  a  yery  pleasing  model 
to  a  sculptor.  The  extreme  mobility  of  his  fea- 
tures instantly  betrayed  all  his  feelings  ;  his  eye  of 
fire  and  his  vibrating  voice  bespoke  a  soul  as  en- 
thusiastic as  energetic.  Short  of  stature,  he  was 
that  evening  muffled  up  in  a  long,  light  overcoat 
that  reached  half  way  down  his  legs  and  gave  him 
a  sort  of  clerical  appearance.  The  meeting  jiassed 
as  usual  in  relating  the  wants  of  the  poor  persons 
taken  care  of  by  the  conference  and  in  arranging 
the  distribution  of  the  alms.  However  it  came 
about,  our  two  naval  ofticcrs  remarked  one  another, 
anf],  after  the  prayer  was  said,  they  felt  a  need  of 
meeting  again  without  witnesses. 

Clerc  invited  his  new  confrere  to  call  at  his  resi- 
dence the  next  day,  so  that  they  might  go  together 
to  visit  the  poor.  The  invitation  was  accepted, 
and  at  the  hour  riamed  the  nevr  acquaintance  was 
at  the  rendezvous.  He  met  Clerc  at  the  door  of  his 
room,  which  ho  was  just  entering.  The  two  re- 
descended  the  stairs  and  walked  side  by  side  for 
five  minutes,  exchanging  a  few  words  meanwhile. 
It  was  sufficient  to  make  them  tliorougljly  known 


Service  on  Shore. 


123 


Is  rcsi- 
Igethcr 
[cpted, 
Ice  was 
of  bis 
ro  rc- 
idc  for 

Lwbile- 
Ikiiowu 


to  one  another,  so  much  in  unison  were  their 
hearts.  *'But  liow  is  it,"  the  ensign  aslied  ex 
airtipfo,  **  tliat  with  such  ideas  you  are  still  in  the 
I  avy  ?  " 

At  this  unexpected  apostrophe  Clerc  turned 
shortly,  drew  back  a  step,  iicld  iiimself  erect,  and, 
looking  the  ensign  straight  in  the  eyes,  said : 
"  And  you — why  are  you  in  the  navy  ?  " 

"  Hold  !  you  are  right,"  replied  the  other. 

From  that  moment  they  were  constant  compa- 
nions ;  their  vrorks,  their  exercises  of  devotion, 
their  common  future.  Vaguely  foreseen,  drew  them 
together.  Sometimes  they  wandered  to  the  fields, 
and  in  the  open  air  abandoned  themselves  to  tlio 
joy  "of  their  hearts,  talking  of  God  quite  at  their 
ease,  and  even  singing  in  his  praise  some  song  of 
the  Church. 

Providence  reserved  for  them  a  still  closer  inti- 
macy. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


ALEXIS  CLERC  DURING  THE  EVENTS  CP    1848. 

Alexis  to  Uis  Brother  Jules. 

"  MAKcn  1,  1848. 
"  What  shall  I  say  to  3011,  my  clear  Jules  ? 
Do  I  really  know  what  I  think  ?  What  is  tlicro 
left  after  this  tempest  that  at  one  sweep  has  car- 
ried away  men  and  institutions  ?  Where  are  you  ? 
■where  will  you  stoj^  ?  You  want  to  overthrow  a 
minister,  and  you  overthrow  the  monarchy  ?  Do 
you  consider  that  incalculable  mass  which  you 
start  into  motion  ?  Where  will  you  find  the  force 
to  stop  it  ?  Must  there  be  the  same  old,  cruel 
oscillations  before  it  stops  spontaneously  ?  It  took 
but  five  hours  to  destroy  a  work  that  cost  so  much 
labor  !  Now,  whence  shall  we  derive  confidence  in 
the  thing  established  ?  It  is  the  tenth  revolution 
since  '89 — intervals  of  five  years  between  them  ! 
How  much  money  !  how  much  blood  !  and  why  ? 
Let  us  weep  over  a  country  where  ten  successive 
Governments  have  not  known  how,  even  at  the 
last  moment,  to  make  the  concession  which  would 
have  saved  them  ;  let  us  weep  over  a  country  which 
cannot  peacefully  conquer  its  rights. 

"  I  regret  neither  Guizot  nor  Louis  Philippe.    I 

134 


During  the  Events  of  1848. 


125 


inch 


liem  I 

jssive 

It  the 

roulA 

/hicb 

)e.    I 


am  terrified  at  their  fall,  but  I  am  much  more  ter- 
rified at  the  immediate  future,  perhaps  already 
past  for  you. 

"It  is  not  a  political  revolution  you  have  ac- 
complished, it  is  a  social  revolution.  You  will  say, 
perhaps  you  say  now,  the  cx-hoiirfjcoisie,  just  as 
you  have  said  the  ex-nohility, 

*' Behold  the  people,  the  laborer,  the  2^'^'olctaire 
on  the  escutcheon  !  Will  these  usurpin^^  waves 
rise  to  power,  or  "will  they  drag  power  down  to 
their  level  ?  Yes,  certainly  ;  if  the  nobility  was 
unjust  and  tyrannical  towards  the  other  classes, 
the  bourgeoisie  was  the  same  towards  the  2^roU- 
taires  ;  but  will  these  be  any  better  ?  Is  injustice 
any  different  whether  a  hundred  suffer  from  it  or 
a  hundred  thousand?  The  injustice  of  the  lotir- 
geoisie  sprang  from  egotism  and  indifference  ;  will 
not  the  other  be  from  hatred  and  cruelty  ?  The 
lourgcoisie  had  little  morality  and  little  enlighten- 
ment ;  but  what  is  there  to  suddenly  raise  our  new 
masters  to  the  level  even  of  the  hoiirgeoisie  ? 

"  Your  provisional  Government,  which  has  im- 
provised itself — which,  moreover,  does  not  pretend 
to  do  as  in  1S30,  to  really  coiisult  the  opinion 
of  France — proclaims  the  Republic  !  Our  vote  is 
already  no  more  than  a  sanction.  Let  us  not  de- 
ceive ourselves,  and  let  us  not  be  deceived  by 
words.  There  is  no  revolution  without,  as  a  con- 
sequence, usurpation  of  power.  My  opinion,  and 
I  believe  it  to  be  well  founded,  is  that  France  is 
not  republican.  Nevertheless,  the  Republic  will 
be  accepted  I  do  not  doubt.     Does  this  show  usur- 


l- 


I< 


126 


Alexis  Clerc. 


ly 


;,.(:   V*'? 


[lit 


pation  of  power — yes  or  no  ?  Facts  are  accom- 
2JUshcdf  as  Guizot  said.  Beliold,  then,  France 
governed  by  Paris  !  God  grant  it  is  but  provisional. 
We  must  once  more  accept  this  fact  accomplished  ; 
but  there  is  another  which  we  must  not  accept, 
against  which  wo  must  figlit  to  the  death  if  there 
is  a  purpose  of  accomplishing  it,  or  if  it  is  being 
accomplished  :  it  is  the  government  of  Paris  by 
the  Commune,  by  the  clubs,  by  the  revolutionary 
army. 

"  You  already  have  the  Commune,  the  revolu- 
tionary army  of  your  twenty-five  mobilized  legions  ; 
beware  of  the  clubs.  The  right  of  reunion,  which 
is  just,  necessary,  and  the  dispute  of  which  has 
brought  about  all  the  trouble — the  right  of  reunion 
may  easily  be  transformed  into  that  of  association, 
of  clubs.  There  is  but  a  step  ;  is  it  possible  that  it 
will  not  be  taken  ? 

**  I  consent  to  the  republic,  but  till  the  day  of 
our  death  let  us  prevent  unauthorized  governments 
from  first  encompassing  and  then  tyrannizing  over 
the  national  government." 

Such  were  the  sentiments  Alexis  communicated 
to  his  brother  Jules  on  the  morrow  of  that  revo- 
lution of  February  24,  which  had  in  a  few  hours 
overthrown  the  establishment  of  July,  and  trans- 
ferred the  destinies  of  France  to  the  hazardous 
decision  of  universal  suffrage.  Let  us  acknow- 
ledge that  the  young  naval  officer,  who  at  that 
time  apprehended  everything,  was  wiser  and  more 
enlightened  than  many  others.  Because  the  peo- 
ple, surprised  at  so  easy  a  victory,  acted  like  a 


During  tJic  Events  of  1848. 


127 


^y 


over 

3ated 
rcvo- 
lours 
rans- 
(lous 
now- 
tliat 
inoro 
peo- 
ike  a 


good  prince  ;  bccaiiso  they  did  not  tear  down  the 
crosses  anil  plunder  t!io  chiirclica  as  in  1830,  moii 
thought  all  was  safe,  and  abandoned  themselves  to 
a  blind  confidence  which  was  very  Sv^on  to  be 
cruelly  undeceived.  It  was  with  reason  that  the 
Proviiiional  Government,  where  LaniurLine  sat  be- 
side Ledru-ltollin,  in  conij^any  \\ith  Louis  Blanc, 
Flocon,  Albert,  the  icorki)i(j  nicchcoticy  etc.,  told 
no  good  tale  to  our  Alexis  ;  for  it  was  too  plain  to 
whoever  looked  at  things  coolly  that  the  conces- 
sions made  to  the  revolutionary  passions  wero 
more  fit  t )  exalt  than  to  appease  them.  But  the 
fallen  power  was  so  little  regretted  that  there  v/as 
a  dispo^iition  to  forgive  the  emeute,  provided  it  was 
moderate.  The  Citizen  Caussidiere  himself,  be- 
come from  the  conspirator  he  was  the  evening 
before  prefect  of  police,  calmed  the  uneasiness  of 
honest  people,  who  certainly  would  not  have  se- 
lected him  for  such  an  office,  by  promising  them 
in  his  picturesque  style  to  make  order  out  of  dis- 
order. The  least  indication  in  the  masses  of  re- 
spect for  property  and  for  religion  was  enthusiasti- 
cally welcomed  as  a  pledge  of  security,  and  those 
who  heard  them  have  not  forgotten  these  words  of 
Father  Lacordaire,  spoken,  in  allusion  to  one  of 
the  episodes  cf  the  victorious  euieute  from  the 
pulpit  of  Notre  Dame,  on  Sunday,  February  27  : 
"  Prove  the  existence  of  God  to  you  !  AVhy,  you 
would  have  the  right  to  call  mo  a  parricide  and 
guilty  of  sacrilege  if  I  should  dare  to  undertake  to 
prove  God  I  The  doors  of  this  cathedral  would 
open  of  themselves  and  would  show  you  this  peo- 


128 


Aicvis  Clcrc. 


pie  magnificent  in  its  wrath,  bearing  God  even  to 
liis  altar  amidst  the  rcsjiect  of  an  adoring  throng." 
The  audience  burst  into  applause. 

Then  the  Journal  dcs  Debals,  drawing  a  moral 
from  the  incident,  added  tliis  commentary:  "It 
is  well.  Let  the  Church  take  her  phice  like  all  of 
lis.  Let  her  show  herself,  the  people  will  recog- 
nize her.  Lot  her  have  no  fear  of  the  revolution, 
to  the  end  that  the  revolution  may  have  no  fear  of 
licr.  God  has  surrendered  the  world  to  discussion — 
Iradidit  mumhim  disjmtationi.  Let  the  Church 
use  her  arms — preaching  and  charity,  instruction 
and  action.  Let  her  help  herself,  and  God  will 
help  her." 

At  that  epoch  it  was  no  small  merit  not  to  share 
any  of  the  current  illusions;  I  do  not  sjieak  only 
of  those  of  tho  Jotirnal  dcs  Dehats,  which  com- 
promised a  little  too  much  with  the  revolution, 
but  of  those  of  the  wisest  and  best  of  men,  in- 
fluenced, it  must  be  allowed,  by  the  excess  of  their 
good  faith  and  by  their  inclination  to  judge  others 
by  themselves.  This  merit  belonged  to  our  young 
sailor.  We  have  seen  how  at  the  first,  and  before 
any  sadly  instructive  experiences,  he  denounced 
tho  usurpation  of  revolutions  which  demand  of 
universal  suffrage  a  tardy  and  illusive  sanction  of  an 
accomplished  fact ;  and  further,  in  the  clubs  of 
1848,  which  in  general  made  more  noise  than  they 
did  harm,  he  already  discerns  the  confused  germs 
of  the  fatal  Commune,  whoso  victim  he  himself  will 
be  in  1871. 

Who  of  us  oil  reaching  the  age  of  manhood,  has 


During  the  Events  of  1848. 


129 


:n  to 

aQOi'ul 
:  *'It 
uU  of 
iccog- 
Lition, 
!car  of 
si  oil — 
Ihurcli 
nctioii 
a  will 

)  share 
k  only 
1  com- 
lution, 

311,  iii- 
|f  their 
others 
young 
before 
unced 
land  of 
m  of  an 
[libs  of 
m  they 
germs 
klf  will 

)tl,  has 


not  found  Lhimself  in  his  turn  face  to  face  with  a 
successful  rcvohition  ?— 1815,  1830,  1818,  1852, 
1871.  Tlie  dates  are  so  near  together  that  every- 
body has  encountered  some  one  of  them.  Now 
just  this  is  the  triaJ,  too  often  tlie  quicksand  of  our 
judgment,  of  our  character.  Few  pass  through  it 
without  damage,  and  it  is  a  great  honor  not  to 
have  been  ensnared.  It  is  good  in  all  cases,  once 
the  danger  is  past  and  calm  re-established,  to  make 
a  severe  examination  of  conscience  on  the  way  one 
has  managed  one's  bark  during  the  tempest.  In 
offering  my  readers  a  standard  of  comparison,  of 
which  Alexis'  letters  to  his  family  will  furnish  all 
the  points,  I  shall  provide  them  with  one  means 
the  more  for  thorough  self-knowledge  and  impar- 
tial self-judgment. 

Living  in  the  provinces  and  contemplating  the 
struggle  from  a  distance,  Clerc  had  over  his 
Parisian  correspondents  the  advantage  of  escaping 
the  vertigo  which  it  is  so  difficult  to  avoid  when 
one  is  condemned  to  be  present  in  person  and  to 
breathe  day  and  niglit  the  fiery  atmosphere  of 
revolutions.  His  strong  religious  studies,  the 
healthy  ideas  he  gained  from  his  "  Summa  "  of  St. 
Thomas,  were  also  a  great  preservative  to  him, 
and  with  no  other  aid  we  shall  see  him  victori- 
ously overleap  the  pitfalls  that  are  not  sufficiently 
mistrusted  by  certain  illustrious  and  fervent  Ca- 
tholics. 

One  month,  two  months  pass.  It  is  now  known 
what  may  be  expected  from  the  Provisional  Gov- 
ernment, from  the  men  of  the  Hotel  de  Vllle  and 


I ; 


130 


Alexis  Clerc. 


?4. 


the  Luxembourg.  Public  credit  has  fallen,  the 
national  workshops  have  killed  labor,  excitement 
is  constantly  on  the  increase  and  extends  from 
Paris  to  the  departments.  But  the  time  of  the 
elections  draws  near,  and  France  is  going  to  use 
universal  suffrage  to  give  herself  a  constituent  as- 
sembly. Things  happen  just  right ;  it  is  Holy 
Week,  and  the  electoral  urns  will  be  opened  on  Eas- 
ter-day. Alexis  perceives  that  his  brother  has  the 
political  fever,  and  that  his  suffrage  will  wander, 
to  fall  perhaps  upon  the  head  of  Lcdru-Rollin  or 
of  Lamennais,  if  not  even  of  Pierre  Leroux  or  of 
Victor  Considerant.  Kow  is  the  opportunity,  or 
never,  for  a  sound  fraternal  correction.  This  is 
what  he  writes  to  Jnles  : 

"lam  truly  afflicted  at  the  position  in  which 
you  put  yourself,  and  I  beg  you  to  reflect  upon 
what  I  am  going  to  say  to  you,  and  to  renect 
seriously. 

**  You  are  most  thoroughly  devoted  to  the  pub- 
lic weal,  and  I  honor  you  for  it.  But  why  is  your 
devotedness  £0  vexed,  uneasy,  anxious,  hurried.  ? 
You  lose  yourself  in  your  bustle,  your  proceedings, 
your  speeches.  Be  more  calm.  Do  you  think 
that  if  everybody  had  to  take  so  much  trouble  to 
be  republican,  the  republic  would  be  possible  ? 
Do  you  want  a  republic  that  so  entirely  monopo- 
lizes the  citizens  that  there  must  be  slaves  to  pro- 
vide for  the  material  life,  as  was  the  case  in  the  re- 
publics of  antiquity  ?  How  is  it  your  agitation, 
your  uneasy,  hurried  actions  go  so  far  as  to  give 
you  a  fever,  and  you  do  not  see  that  the  system  is 


%\  I  ! 


During  the  Events  of  1848. 


131 


3  pub- 

1  your 
ried  ? 

|dings, 
think 
.ble  to 
isible  ? 

|onopo- 

,0  pi'o- 
tlie  re- 
taiioB, 
,0  give 
[Stem  is 


falso  and  bad  ?  You  ought  not  to  act  this  way. 
I  beg  you  to  have  regard  to  my  advice.  Rest 
eight  days  without  going  to  the  club,  and  then 
only  go  from  time  to  time.  Do  not  give  up  your 
life  to  a  whirlwind  that  absorbs  it  and  is  incapable 
of  producing  anything  good.  Do  you  know,  or  do 
you  not  know  where  the  truth  is  to  be  found  ?  Is 
it  not  in  religion  ?  Do  you  not  believe  in  the  vir- 
tue and  enlightenment  of  some  priests  ?  Go  and 
ask  them  to  name  your  candidates ;  they  are 
acquainted  with  men  and  they  will  teach  you 
about  them;  you  cannot  learn  to  know  them 
through  your  clubs.  I  do  not  wish  to  enter  into 
details,  but  I  wish  to  tell  you  what  I  would  have 
done. 

"  Give  up  going  to  the  club.  Recover  your 
composure.  Remember  we  are  in  Holy  AVcek. 
Go  quite  simply  and  ask  the  Committee  Montalem- 
bert  for  candidates,  or  go  to  the  Abbe  de  la  Bouil- 
lerie,  or  to  any  pious  manowho  may  possess  your 
confidence,  and  rest  quietly;  but,  above  all  things, 
do  not  at  any  price  make  a  compact  with  evil.  I 
pray  you  let  there  not  be  on  your  list  a  single  name 
which  your  conscience  does  not  approve.  Do  not 
attempt  to  deceive  yourself  in  this  matter  by  ad- 
vantageous combinations.  Evil  is  evil  absolutely, 
and  think  of  the  part  the  Assembly  will  play." 

Alas  !  wishing  to  do  himself  what  he  so  earnestly 
recommends  to  his  brother,  he  is  greatly  troubbd 
to  find  a  sufficient  number  of  names  that  his  con- 
science can  approve  of.  We  will  only  say  that  ho 
hud  on  his  list,  side  by  side  with  the  names  of 


<'/ 


132 


Alexis  Clerc. 


m  li! 


Father  Lacorduire  and  the  Abbe  Deguerry,  pastor 
of  the  Madeleine,  those  of  Michelet  and  Eerangcr. 

After  having  copied  his  list  for  his  brother, 
Alexis  adds:  *'I  do  not  recommend  it  to  you; 
stilly  I  think  there  is  nothing  in  it  to  condemn.  I 
reproach  myself  for  only  thinking  this,  and  not 
being  sure  of  it." 

His  scruple  was  perfectly  justifiable.  What ! 
this  exceedingly  severe  censor  of  his  brother's  votes, 
who  would  reproach  him  for  Ledru-Rolliii  and 
Lamcnnais,  will  himself  yote  for  Beranger  and 
Michelet  !  Beranger,  the  songster  of  "  Lisette  "  and 
of  "Dieu  des  bonnes  Gens  "  !  Michelet,  the  calum- 
niator of  the  clergy,  who  had  quite  recently  poured 
out  his  gall  and  bile  in  an  ignoble  pamphlet  en- 
titled '*  The  Priest,  the  Woman,  and  the  Family  ! " 
Behold  to  what  compromises  men  were  brought  by 
that  absurd  system  of  voting  which  since  the  4th  of 
September  we  have  been  practising  again,  and  which 
will  always  find  warm  partisans  among  the  advo- 
cates of  universal  suffrage  !  And  they  call  it  inter- 
rogating the  nation  ! 

What  a  disturbance  of  ideas  there  was  in  that 
year  1848,  and  what  a  strange  confusion  of  words 
and  things  ! 

See  that  former  disciple  of  Saint-Simon  and 
Fourier,  now  a  good  Catholic,  recommending  his 
choice  of  candidateship  with  the  double  authority 
of  what  he  was  and  what  he  has  become,  recom- 
mending it  to  socialists  as  well  as  to  Catholics  ! 
"My  return  to  Christianity,"  he  says,  ^^lias  never 
caused  me  to  feel  the  necessity  of  condemning  the 


\ 


During  the  Events  of  1 848. 


133 


and 

ig  bis 

Ihority 

Iccom- 

lolics ! 

never 
\ng  the 


first  lent  of  my  ideas.  Undoubtedly,  I  have  re- 
pudiated in  the  Saint-Simonistic  and  Fourieristic 
theories  all  that  was  incompatible  with  Christian 
truth  ;  but  I  owe  to  them  my  having  recognized 
long  ago  the  necessity  and  also  the  possibility  of 
realizing  that  same  truth  in  all  social  relations." 
He  adds  :  "  The  repuyiicaii  ininciple  annxds  the 
only  obstacles  that  can  opjjose  this  realization. 
Therefore,  1  am  rcpuhlican  by  a  double  title — as  a 
Christian  and  as  a  socicdist." 

And  his  choice  of  candidateship,  besides  being 
perfectly  honest  and  in  good  faith,  was  warmly 
])atroniz'jd  by  the  Catholic  committees. 

Cierc,  exiled  to  the  provinces,  and  deprived  of 
the  information  he  would  have  wished  to  have  con- 
cerning the  Parisian  electoral  tickets,  thought  he 
was  acting  for  the  best  in  hazarding  certain  names 
with  which  he  had  no  sympathy  Avhatsoever.  But  if 
the  Catholic  elector  could  reconcile  it  to  his  con- 
science to  name  Michelet  and  Buranger,  what  must 
be  thought  of  the  system  which  extorted  from  him 
such  votes  ?  If  Alexis  was  a  hundred  leagues  re- 
moved from  socialistic  ideas,  his  brother  did  not 
repel  them  so  resolutely,  and  was  one  of  those  per- 
sons who  tried  to  harmonize  them  with  Catholic 
dogma  to  a  certain  degree.  A  subscriber  to  the 
Ere  Nouvelle,  he  did  not  disapprove  of  Father  Lacor- 
tlaire's  sitting  in  the  National  Assembly  not  far  from 
Barbes  and  Ledru-Kollin.  Alexis  did  all  in  his 
power  to  change  his  views  in  this  respect.  In  the 
course  of  the  month,  of  June  ho  undertook  to  write  a 
long  letter  of  a  dogmatic  character  to  Madame  do 


ih 


134 


Alexis  Clerc. 


S — ,  Avhoso  supcriorily  of  mind  he  was  not  llio  only 
one  to  appreciate.  This  letter  was  evidently  intended 
for  his  brother  much  more  than  for  the  lady  whose 
well-known  sentiments  promised  him  an  ally  in  the 
cause  he  was  trying  to  gain.  But  while  he  wrote 
events  hurried  after  one  another,  and  terrible  ex- 
plosions of  popular  fury,  enkindled  by  the  secret 
societies,  scattered  consternation  and  terror 
throughout  France.  Under  the  influence  of  heart- 
rending emotions  which  were  constantly  recurring, 
Alexis  terminates  with  these  words,  that  are  a  vivid 
description  of  the  situation  : 

**  I  wrote  you  these  cold  pages  while  France 
was  plunged  in  fire  and  blood,  and  while  the  tele- 
graphic despatches  kept  us  in  a  state  of  fever- 
ish anxiety.  You  will  be  astonished  at  my  hav- 
ing continued  writing;  it  is  because  this  hor- 
rible war  doea  not  touch  the  real  question,  which 
will  come  up  sooner  or  later.  I  believe  1  have  as 
vet  no  misfortune  of  those  who  are  dear  to  me  to 
lament.  We  have  enough  to  do  to  weep  over  the 
country  and  to  pray  for  her.  May  so  terrible  a 
chastisement  bo  an  expiation  of  our  crimes,  and 
may  it  please  God  to  accept  so  much  heroic  de- 
votedness  as  atonement  for  £o  much  indifference 
and  egotism.  Let  us  open  our  eyes  and  judge  the 
trees  of  the  new  doctrines  by  the  fruits  they  bear. 
I  have  the  hope  that  in  the  end  misfortune,  which 
sanctifies  man,  will  make  the  nation  better.  Oh  I 
if  God  would  order  it  thus,  we  should  then  indeed 
be  saved." 

This  was  as  yet  a  premature  hope. 


During  the  Events  of  1848. 


135 


js,  and 
)ic  cle- 
Eerence 
Ige  the 

bear. 

wliicli 
Ohl 
I  indeed 


"May  my  blood  be  the  last  poured  out!"  ex- 
claimed in  (lying  the  martyred  archbishop,  struck 
down  before  the  biirricade  of  the  Faubourg  St. 
Antoine  at  the  moment  he  was  bearing  to  the  in- 
surgents a  message  of  peace.  General  Negrier  had 
fallen  at  the  same  place,  and  General  de  Brea  had 
been  cowardly  assassinated  at  the  Barriure  de  Fon- 
tainebleau,  both  after  having  stopped  the  firing  of 
their  troops  and  while  trying  to  negotiate.  Five 
other  generals  and  two  representatives  had  met 
death  in  that  horrible  struggle,  which  was  one  of 
the  most  furious  that  ever  drenched  the  streets  of 
Paris  with  blood. 

Clerc's  fears  for  his  family  were  quieted  only 
when  his  father,  whose  patriotic  ardor  was  his 
dread,  had  given  him  a  sign  of  life. 

"My  dear  father,"  he  wrote  July  1,  "I  thank 
you  very  much  for  your  letter  of  June  27,  which  I 
have  expected  most  impatiently.  1  learned  from 
the  papers  that  the  Faubourg  du  Temple  held  out 
till  the  third  day,  and  I  plainly  foresaw  that  the 
neighborhood  of  the  bridges  and  the  few  ways  of 
communication  with  the  boulevard  would  give  a 
strategic  importance  to  the  quarter  where  you  re- 
side. The  elder  Madame  Mallet  received  on  the 
28th  a  letter  from  Madame  Pages,  from  which  I 
gathered  that  you  were  safe  and  sound  ;  neverthe- 
less, I  was  anxious  for  direct  news,  and  I  thank  you 
for  not  having  delayed  sending  it  to  me. 

"I  am  much  obliged  (don't  be  vexed)  to  the 
insurgents,  tlie  troops,  and  the  national  guard,  for 
having  in  turn  kept  you  a  prisoner  in  the  house. 


11.SV, 


#r"- 


"^ 


136 


Alexis  Clerc, 


I  cannot  sufficiently  remind  you  that  it  is  foolish 
to  go  out  for  an  airing  in  the  midst  of  a  civil  war. 
It  is  impossible  to  be  calm  under  such  critical  cir- 
cumstances, and  if  it  had  not  been  for  your  forced 
captivity  you  might  have  exposed  yourself  to  a 
useless  danger.  From  your  account  of  your  first 
day's  peregrination,  I  conjecture  that  you  had  many 
chances  of  not  escaping  so  cheaply. 

"  I  shall  read  with  great  interest  all  you  can  re- 
call of  the  insurgents'  speeches,  all  you  can  relate 
of  their  means  and  their  object,  so  as  to  gain  a  cor- 
rect knowledge  of  the  terrible  enemy  that  has 
almost  ruined  the  country  and  that  it  has  cost  so 
dear  to  overcome. 

"  If  you  will  permit  some  moralizing  upon  this 
great  misfortune,  I  refer  you  to  my  last  letter. 
The  state  is  a  responsible  being,  subject,  like  man, 
to  the  law  of  suffering  ;  it  follows,  therefore,  that 
justice  must  be  satisQcd  in  its  regard.  History  in 
terror  registers  the  cause  of  these  catastrophes; 
bloody  expiations  are  needed  to  wash  out  so  many 
unpunished  crimes.  Finally,  it  must  be  under- 
stood that  the  hand  that  chastises  seeks  before  all 
to  correct. 

"The  chastisement  is  terrible;  France  has  shed 
the  purest  of  her  blood.  I  hope  that  we  have  noth- 
ing more  to  expiate.  May  the  just  and  merciful  God 
grant  us  to  change  our  ways  and  henceforth  walk 
in  those  he  has  marked  out  for  us.  Oh !  then 
France  will  be  reallv  saved.  Otherwise,  if  we  con- 
tinue  our  efforts  to  establish  the  foundations  of  so- 
ciety on    a    clever    egotism ;     if   that    egotism. 


During  the  Events  ^/ 1848. 


137 


olisli 
war. 
1  cir- 
orced 
to  a 
:  first 
many 

lan  re- 
relate 
acor- 
at  has 
cost  so 

on  this 
letter, 
e  man, 
•e,  that 
tory  in 
•ophes ; 
|o  many 
under- 

Ifore  all 

las  shed 

Ire  noth- 
IfulGod 
\\\  walk 
1  then 
|we  con- 
Jis  of  so- 
[gotism, 


as  enlightened  as  you  please,  is  to  be  tlie  prin- 
ciple of  morality  and  of  the  social  contract,  wo 
arc  lost.  There  is  no  longer  question  of  yield- 
ing to  the  state  a  part  of  our  liberty  by  obey- 
ing the  law,  a  part  of  our  property  by  paying  tlie 
taxes  ;  we  would  remain  in  our  old  errors,  and  we 
would  have  witnessed  only  the  first  scene  of  the  de- 
gtruction  of  our  country. 

"No;  France,  who  has  always  given  the  world 
the  example  of  great  and  generous  sentiments— and 
this  is  more  than  her  power,  more  than  her  mili- 
tary genius,  what  makes  us  love  her — must,  ceasing 
to  copy  English  civilization  which  suils  neither  her 
manners,  her  mind,  nor  her  heart,  abjure  egotism 
and  let  the  fraternity  she  has  graven  upon  her 
arms  be  deeply  graven  in  her  heart. 

"  The  deplorable  philosophers  of  the  last  cen- 
tury and  of  this  have  succeeded,  the  former  in  dry- 
ing up  our  hearts,  the  latter  in  insjnring  us  by 
means  of  calumnies  Avith  hatred  towards  the  pre- 
tended happy  ones  of  the  world,  and  in  making  us 
believe  that  <.  iir  destiny  and  our  right  is  an  un- 
mixed happiness  here  upon  earth.  These  doctrines 
have  not  rested  in  the  domain  of  ideology ;  news- 
papers and  pamphlets  have  carried  them  every- 
where; the  "Mysteries  of  Paris,"  "The  Wander- 
ing Jew,"  and  many  other  productions  that  have 
made  less  noise  have  popularized  them  ;  and  I  do 
not  doubt  that  the  investigation  which  will  be  made 
of  this  abominable  insurrection  will  prove  that  it 
was  only  the  logical  consequence  of  these  princi- 
ples.    These  romancers,  these  philosophers  do  not 


.Sfc 


138 


Alexis  Clerc. 


fight ;  they  detest  civil  war,  it  is  impossible  to  con- 
vict them  ;  nevertheless,  they  are  tho  most  guilty, 
they  are  the  true  instigators  of  civil  war.  Will 
they  understand  what  they  have  done  ?  I  dare  not 
hope  it  of  all  of  them.  The  lUforme  has  given  tho 
generous  example  of  regretting  the  malicious  re- 
marks it  published,  and  for  which  it  finds  itself 
severely  punished." 

These  are  certainly  uncommonly  exalted  and  just 
views,  and  would  to  God  they  might  have  had  some 
influence  on  tho  governing  classes,  who,  being  more 
enlightened,  bear  before  God  and  before  history 
the  weight  of  a  heavier  responsibility. 

The  following  letter  touches  upon  a  subject  less 
grave,  but  is  striking  enough,  and  besides  shows 
very  plainly  the  nobility  of  spirit  which  our  Alexis 
knew  full  well  how  to  reconcile  with  Christian  hu- 
mility. In  order  that  it  may  be  understood  it  will 
be  sufficient  to  explain  that  the  6'ff/r«re//i  being  de- 
finitely withdrawn  for  alteration,  and'  Mr.  Mallet 
having  received  another  command,  Alexis'  family 
were  extremely  desirous  that  he  should  not  bo 
separated  from  a  superior  officer  whose  friendship  he 
had  long  since  gained.  Hence  the  efforts  which  Mr. 
Jules  Clerc  made  with  the  friend  of  their  childhood, 
Mr.  Emile  Mario,  whose  father  become  minister  of 
justice,  occupied  the  hotel  of  the  Place  Vendomc. 
Between  ourselves,  Alexis  was  not  sorry  for  the  op- 
portunity of  commenting  upon  the  republican  aus- 
terity of  his  brother  Jules,  and  finding  it  at  fault. 

"  My  good  Jules  :  I  do  not  know  how  to  scold 
you  for  what  you  have  done  about  my  sailing  with 


During  the  Events  of  1848. 


139 


Ity, 

Yill 
not 

the 
are- 
tself 

just 
some 
more 

[story 

3t  less 
shows 
Alexis 
,nliu- 
it  will 
.ng  de- 
[Mallet 

[family 
not  bo 
;lup  be 
cb  l^Ir. 
[dboocl, 
ster  of 
bdome. 
Itbo  op- 
Ian  ans- 
fault. 
,0  scold 
g  with 


Mr.  Mallet,  especially  as  Madame  Pages  advised  yeu 
to  do  it ;  but  I  must  tell  you  that  it  is  with  intense 
displeasure  that  I  have  beard  of  it.  How  could 
you  do  for  me  what  your  susceptibility  would  pre- 
vent you  from  doing  for  yourself  ?  For  pity's  sake, 
if  I  have  the  good  fortune  to  possess  some  friends 
in  places  above  me,  do  not  make  me  lose  them.  I 
can  understand  that  kind  of  contempt  influential 
people  feel  when  men  make  stepping-stones  of  their 
friendship  and  intimacy.  Do  you  not  see  that 
Emile  Marie's  position  and  our  friendship  with  him 
are  two  things  completely  distinct,  that  it  is  as  ab- 
surd as  unjast  to  make  the  one  a  pretext  for  using 
the  other  ?  Probably  you  have  no  idea  of  the  mul- 
titude of  solicitors  that  crowd  round  that  poor 
fellow,  and  you  deprive  him  of  the  one  little  mo- 
ment of  pleasure  he  would  have  experienced  in 
thinking  that  I  had  not  importuned  him. 

*^  He  has  much  more  need  of  a  disinterested  af- 
fection than  I  have  of  all  tho  services  he  could 
render  me  by  his  position.  Aud  you,  my  good 
Jules,  whose  delicacy  of  feeling  it;  so  exquisite, 
you  have  done  this  !  What  pains  me  most  is  that 
your  affection  for  me,  the  affection  of  you  all  in 
Paris,  is  so  voluntarily  blind  ;  for,  in  the  first;  place, 
you  would  not  do  for  yourselves  what  you  do  for 
me,  and  secondly,  if  you  were  not  so  greatly  mis- 
taken regarding  my  sentiments  you  would  not  do 
it  for  me.     You  have  been  repulsed  by  Do  Plus  ;  * 

*This  Christian  friend  shared  all  Clcrc's  sentiments  and  the 
two  were  worthy  of  one  another.  Later  we  shall  be  better  ac- 
quainted with  Lim. 


140 


Alexis  Clcrc. 


i! 


I  was  sure  you  would  be  and  I  am  delighted  ; 
Emilo  ought  to  have  treated  you  in  the  same  way. 
Now  do  not  think  that  I  set  no  value  on  friendship 
and  that  I  make  it  a  point  never  to  ask  anything 
of  a  friend.  It  is  too  sweet  to  me  to  be  useful  to 
those  1  love  ;  but  I  will  ask  of  my  friends  only  such 
things  as  depend  upon  them  personally,  and  not 
upon  their  public  functions.  The  amusing  side  of 
the  affair  is  that  you  make  one  more  old  school 
republican  who  takes  up  the  trade  of  a  solicitor, 
and  T,  who  am  the  reactionist,  I  act  the  puritan. 

"  I  had  foreseen  with  regard  to  De  Plas  the  tricks 
of  which  you  were  capable,  but  I  acknowledge  that 
I  did  not  have  the  subtlety  to  guess  that  you  would 
besiege  that  poor  Emile  for  proceedings  so  entirely 
out  of  his  province. 

"Finally,  I  must  tell  you  that,  according  to 
your  own  way  of  looking  at  things,  you  have  made 
a  blunder.  You  imagine  that  Mr.  Mallet,  who  is 
acquainted  with  all  Paris,  who  knows  all  the  minis- 
ters, has  need  of  t^uit  poov  jUmile  to  convey  a  letter 

to  his  friend  N ?     Truly,  you  must  seem  very 

innocent  to  persons  who  know  how  to  deal  with 
men.  I  do  not  mean  to  say  that  Mr.  Mallet  ia 
not  sincerely  desirous  of  having  me  with  him, 
but  there  is  no  necessity  of  his  resorting  to  such 
little  wire-pulling  to  obtain  what  is  his  right.  One 
of  two  things  is  the  case  :  either  he  does  not  desire 
it  enough  to  obtain  it — and  this  will  not  prevent 
me  from  being  pleased  with  him  for  having  desired 
it  to  the  degree  he  has — or  he  has  employed  an 
outlandisli  manner  of  giving  eatisfactiou  to  your 


During  the  Events  of  1848. 


141 


cd ; 

»vay. 

ship 

Uiug 

x\  to 

siicli 

a  not 

de  of 

chool 

.citor, 

Dan. 
tricks 
;e  that 
would 
atircly 


m^ 


=  to 
made 
kho  is 
minis- 
letter 
yery 
\  with 
,llet  is 
him, 
10  such 
,    One 
desire 
)revent 
[desired 
Lyed  an 
|o  your 


impatience.  Therefore  my  poor  Jules  has  wasted 
the  display  of  his  republican  incorruptibility  to  the 
doorkeepers  of  the  Place  Vendonie.  It  was  such 
an  agreeable  pastime  for  us  to  wax  indignant  over 
the  corruption  and  nepotism  of  our  contempora- 
ries I  Hurry  to  find  Emile,  enter  in  spite  of  the 
doorkeepers  whom  you  have  already  learned  how 
to  baffle  and  tell  him  to  stay  at  home  ;  that  I  am 
always  anxious  that  ho  should  travel  two  leagues  to 
come  to  see  me,  but  that  I  do  not  want  him  to  travel 
two  steps  to  obtain  for  me  anything  whatsoever.'' 

The  letter  concludes  with  this  advice  addressed 
to  his  brother's  faith  and  piety  : 

"  As  for  you,  Jules,  recollect  yourself  as  much  as 
you  can.  I  acknowledge  that  it  is  very  difficult  for 
everybody,  and  that  you  more  than  other  people 
have  the  obstacles  of  a  very  busy  life  to  contend 
with  ;  but  do  what  you  can.  Ten  minutes  of 
prayer  are  worth  all  the  politics  in  the  world,  and, 
besides,  prayer  is  the  only  true  and  sound  politics, 
for  there  is  a  Providence  that  governs  us.  Impress 
well  on  your  mind  this  beautiful  saying,  of  Bos- 
suet  I  believe  :  ^ Man  vexes  himself,  and  God  leads 
hini^ ;  you  will  soon  derive  from  it  a  calm  of  which 
you  have  long  been  deprived,  anda  wiser  judgment 
of  many  events  ;  you  will  also  interfere  in  my  af- 
fairs more  to  my  liking ;  and,  finally,  I  hope  we 
shall  have  no  more  disagreements  on  any  subject, 
as  is  becoming  to  brothers  and  Christians.  Till 
we  soon  meet,  A.  Clekc." 

"Do  not  delay  going  to  thank  Emile  for  his 
good-will,  and  to  dispense  him  from  it.'' 


142 


Alexis  Clcrc. 


Moanwliilo,  Alexis  perceived  that  Lis  brotjier 
was  not  sufficiently  on  his  guard  against  certain 
current  ideas,  wliicli  under  the  vague  formulas 
that  enveloped  them  favored  socialism,  and  that 
his  good  faith  had  been  surprised  by  the  affectation 
of  respecting  his  Catholic  orthodoxy.  The  explana- 
tions Jules  gave  only  half  satisGed  him ;  he  took 
them  up  one  by  one,  dit^cussed  them,  examined 
them,  and  made  it  his  duty  to  prove  that  if  all 
veils,  all  equivocations  are  removed,  these  two 
contraries — socialism  and  Christianity — arc  abso- 
lutely and  radically  irreconcilable. 

There  is  so  much  reason  in  these  pages,  so  much 
Bcrious  good  sense  enlightened  by  faith,  that  we 
believe  we  shall  gratify  our  readers  by  reproducing 
a  large  part  of  them.  Assuredly,  the  doctrines  of 
Fourier  and  Victcr  Conaidurant,  as  they  were  pro- 
fessed in  1848,  have  no  adepts  in  these  days,  and  they 
may  pass  as  superannuated  in  presence  of  less  specu- 
lative doctrines  which  have  since  made  their  mark 
with  a  certain  cdat.  But  the  principles  of  the  errors 
whence  the  evil  proceeds  are  the  same,  and  they 
all  agree  on  one  point — the  denial  of  the  superna- 
tural. As  to  the  principles  wliicli  Clerc  opposed 
to  those  dangerous  Utopianisms,  they  are  un- 
changeable as  trutli  is. 

It  appears,  then,  that  Mr.  Jules  Clerc  had  said  : 
*'I  do  not  believe  that  religion  ought  to  interfere 
in  a  direct  manner  in  political  questions,  unless  to 
keep  constantly  before  our  eyes  the  Gospel  princi- 
ples of  morality  and  fraternity." 

"Very  good,"  returns  Alexis  ^  *'let  us  borrow 


During  the  Events  of  1848. 


143 


iljicr 
[•Uiiii 
lulas 

that 
aiion 
ilana- 
1  took 
nincd 
if  all 
>   two 

abso- 

mi^cli 
lat  we 
Jucing 
ines  of 
re  pro- 
d  they 
spccii- 
•  mark 
errors 
a  they 
perna- 
poped 
0  un- 
said : 
Iterfere 
lies  3  to 
Ipriiici- 

)orrow 


infallible  \f\  iciplcs  from  the  religious  order,  and 
let  us  build  upon  thcui ;  we  may  easily  deceive 
ourselves  in  particular  cases,  but  we  have  good  as- 
surances of  truth.  You  are  in  the  right  ;  God  has 
given  us  all  that  is  necessary  for  our  salvation,  for 
our  real  good,  and  to  this  end  he  has  provided  not 
only  in  the  order  of  grace,  but  also  in  the  order  of 
nature ;  he  has  laid  down  natural  principles  and 
has  commanded  us  to  follow  them,  and  if  wo  will 
not  we  shall  destroy  instead  of  building  up. 

**  I  bog  you  to  excuse  the  digression  I  am  now 
going  to  make  ;  it  is  not  a  direct  reply  to  your  let- 
ter, but  I  am  extremely  anxious  that  you  should 
not  imagine  religion  to  have  a  particular  domain 
in  which  it  must  shut  itself  up,  and  that  the  pub- 
lic welfare  should  bo  ruled  by  its  own  laws.  On 
the  contrary,  religion  is  the  universal  law,  and  ifc 
ought  to  be  the  only  law,  for  the  only  end  of  man 
is  his  salvation  which  depends  solely  upon  religion. 
Creatures,  nature,  societies,  are,  and  should  be, 
only  the  means  of  attaining  this  end. 

"Now,  man  has  fallen,  and  by  his  fall  ho  has 
lost  everything  in  the  order  of  grace,  and  this  con- 
cerns only  religion  ;  further,  his  nature  has  been 
corrupted,  and  this  concerns  the  natural  order  and 
society.  But  by  the  Redemption  he  is  capable  of 
re-entering  the  state  of  grace  and  of  overcoming 
the  corruption  of  liis  nature.  Ilenco  results  that 
the  first  condition  of  all  society  is  religion,  and  ifc 
is  impossible  to  name  any  society  that  has  been  left 
destitute  of  it.  Corruption  being  the  portion  of 
every  man,  ifc  is  necessary  that  every  man  should 


•I 


(0" 


I    ■     li , 

II 


144 


Alexis  Clcrc. 


endeavor  to  overcome  himself ;  it  is  the  greatest 
service  he  can  render  society.  In  consequence  of 
this  corruption  society  has  the  right  of  coercion 
over  those  wlio  threaten  its  existence.  Finally, 
man  has  on  account  of  his  fault  been  condemned 
to  labor  and  suffering,  and  He  who  pronounced 
the  sentence  will  maintain  it. 

"  Very  good  !  Eouricr  and  his  disciples  deny 
that  man  has  fallen,  and,  supposing  him  to  have 
come  from  the  hands  of  God  just  as  he  is,  declare 
him  perfect,  and  would  permit  him  to  satisfy  his 
most  ardent  passions  and  his  most  wayward  de- 
sires. As  a  philosophy  if;  is  easy  to  prove  that  this 
system  is  absurd,  inasmuch  as  it  overlooks  the  in- 
most nature  of  our  heart,  and  cannot  explain  pre- 
sent and  past  evil.  But  our  faith  leads  us  to  reject 
these  follies.  If  man  is  bad,  "w  hat  can  he  more  fool- 
ish than  to  deal  with  him  as  though  he  were  good  ? 

*'  I  sa'.v  V *  on  his  return  from  Paris,  and  I 

reproached  him  for  having  deceived  you.  lie  de- 
fended himself  by  saying  that  he  had  concealed 
nothing  from  you,  and  that,  as  it  is  possible  to 
create  the  same  system  wliilc  starting  from  dif- 
ferent principles,  ho  had  limited  himself  to  pro- 
posing to  you  those  practical  realizations  without 
troubling  himself  about  the  principles  that  might 
serve  as  their  basis  in  your  judgment.  In-i^olitical 
matters,  it  seems,  people  occupy  themselves  a  great 


*One  of  their  frionds,  infcerasfced  for  a  considerable  time  in 
socialistic  doctrines,  and  of  whom  the  4tli  of  September.  1870, 
when  the  Republic  was  declared  in  Paris  after  the  battle  of 
Sedan,  did  not  lail  to  make  a  prefect. 


During  the  Events  of  1848. 


145 


of 
ion 

ncd 
ico.d 

Icr^y 
have 
clare 

y  ^^^^ 
a  dc- 

i  this 

le  in- 

Li  pvc- 

rcject 

to  f  ool- 

igood  ? 
and  I 

Ic  dc- 
ccalcd 
^blc  to 
dif- 
o  pi'o- 
itbout 

ilitical 
great 


time  in 

ler,  1870, 

jattle  of 


(Teal  with  facts  and  little  with  ideas.  As  for  him, 
he  plainly  declared  to  me  that  the  two  principles — 
the  foundations  of  his  projects  of  reform — were 
that  man  was  not  fallen,  and  that  after  his  death 
he  would  continue  to  merit  eternally  in  anew  and 
different  life.  With  these  principles  I  agree  that 
he  is  logical  enough  ;  can  you  with  contrary  prin- 
ciples be  logical  ?  No,  I  have  already  told  you  so  ; 
your  good  faith  has  been  surprised. 

"You  say,  'Fourier's  ideas  on  the  organization 
of  society  are  beautiful,  inasmuch  as  they  turn  in- 
dividual egotism,  when  they  do  not  destroy  it,  to 
the  well-being  of  all.'  As  to  their  heautyf  we  shall 
see  about  that  later;  as  to  their  falsit/j,  we  shall 
discover  that  immediately.  Labor  must  become  a 
2^lcasure  by  the  attraction  whicU  organization  luill 
know  lioio  to  attacli  to  it.  Our  conscience  tells  us 
loudly  that  this  cannot  be  ;  but  what  reply  has 
Fourier  to  these  words  :  '  Cursed  is  the  earth  in 
thy  work  ;  with  labor  and  toil  thou  shalt  eat  there- 
of (its  fruits)  all  the  days  of  thy  life;  thorns  and 
thistles  shall  it  bring  forth  to  thee,  and  thou  shalt 
cat  the  herbs  of  the  earth.  In  the  sweat  of  thy 
face  shalt  thou  eat  bread,  till  thou  return  to  the 
earth  out  of  which  thou  wast  taken  ;  for  dust  thou 
art,  and  into  dust  shalt  thou  return'  (Genesis,  iii. 
17-19).  After  this  shall  we  have  the  credulity  to 
rely  upon  his  promises  of  a  terrestrial  paradise  ? 
Let  us  never  forget  this  terrible  sentence  which 
weighs  upon  humanity,  and  of  which  all  our  mo- 
dern prophets  w'ant  to  relieve  us. 

*'  Is  it  beantiful  to  perfect  gluttony  to  the  de- 


I       ! 


ft**' 

M'  " 
Hi" 


14^ 


Alexis  Clerc. 


If 


■   I,-: 


gree  of  eating,  I  believe,  six  hearty  meals  a  day  ?  to 
permit  sensuality  to  cast  off  all  restraint  ?  to  grant 
to  the  lowest  instincts  satisfactions  which  even  our 
actual  corruption  cannot  think  of  without  blush- 
ing ?  You  talk  of  the  means  which  Fourier  would 
use  to  destroy  selfishness ;  but  there  are  none  others, 
in  his  opinion,  save  the  free  development  of  man's 
passions  !  Moreover,  he  does  not  desire  to  destroy 
selfisliness ;  he  would  be  very  sorry  to  have  it  de- 
stroyed, because  he  needs  the  development  of  ali 
the  heart  of  man  contains;  but  he  utilizes  it. 
That  is  not  overstupid ;  still,  until  now  I  have  sup- 
posed that  God  alone  was  capable  of  drawing  good 
from  evil. 

'*  Finally,  I  conclude  with  the  last  phrase  of 
your  first  sheet :  *  Solidarity  is  a  Christian  senti- 
ment, and  I  do  not  believe  it  will  be  inapplicable  in 
the  course  of  time.' 

"  This  phrase  has  not  been  well  reflected.  So- 
lidarity is  not  a  sentiment,  it  is  a  law  by  which 
men  arc  responsible,  the  ones  for  the  others,  for 
the  good  or  evil  they  have  done.  The  Fourieritcs 
give  the  name  of  unityism  to  what  you  mean,  and 
three  months  ago  you  would  with  us  have  called  it 
charity,  which  certainly  is,  as  you  say,  a  Christian 
sentiment,  and  so  Christian  that  it  does  not  exist 
outside  of  Christianity.  This  makes  me  think  that 
the  course  o:^  time  will  not  render  it  applicable  if  the 
world  does  not  become  Christian,  and  that  if  God 
grants  us  the  grace  to  be  Christian,  it  will  be, 
whatever  the  time,  applicable  and  even  applied. 
You  will  say  that  I  apply  it  very  little  and  that  all 


During  the  Events  of  1 848. 


147 


?  to 
rant 
.  our 
usli- 
rouU 
liers, 
nan's 
estroy 
it  de- 
of  aVk 
zes  it. 
ve  snp- 
ig  goo^ 

irase  of 
n  scnti- 
cablein 

pd.    So- 

licrs,  for 
lurieritcs 

pan,  and 

[called  it 

Jhristian 

[not  exist 

ink  that 

jlo  if  tl^e 

it  if  Glo^ 
v^ill  l»c, 
applied. 

that  all 


this  is  very  severe ;  if  it  wounds  you,  I  sincerely 
beg  your  pardon.  The  importance  of  the  questions 
raised  by  your  few  lines  justifies,  perhaps,  my  eager- 
ness to  have  you  examine  deceptive  novelties  with 
more  deliberation." 

Accurately  spoken,  it  seems  to  us.  Doubtless 
this  argumentation,  borrowing  all  its  majors  from 
the  truths  of  faith,  would  not  convert  a  blind  dis- 
ciple of  Fourier,  but  it  had  its  weight  with  the  ex- 
cellent Catholic  to  whom  it  was  addressed.  Alexis 
did  not  ask  of  reason,  too  often  straitened  for  de- 
cisive proofs,  what  faith  gives  abundantly  to  who- 
ever has  the  happiness  of  believing.  The  practical 
bent  of  his  mind  is  manifested  in  this  discussion, 
in  which  he  does  not  seek  to  shine,  but  to  convince 
as  a  man  who  knows  the  value  of  souls,  and  to 
whom  the  soul  of  his  brother  is  especially  dear. 

We  must  note  the  impression  which  the  voting 
of  the  10th  of  December,  1848,  made  upon  him. 

The  election  of  Prince  Napoleon  to  the  presi- 
dency by  five  millions  of  voices  disagreeably  sur- 
prised him,  and  it  required  time  for  him  to  recover 
from  what  he  called  "a  rude  shock  to  his  political 
sagacity."  He  had  voted  for  Cavaignac,  not 
through  republicanism,  but  through  sincerity  in 
his  acceptance  of  the  political  system  legally  estab- 
lished, and  also  through  a  generous  reaction  against 
the  odious  calumnies  for  which  the  incorruptible 
general  had  furnished  no  pretext.  lie  experienced 
an  instinctive  repugnance  for  his  princely  competi- 
tor, who  always  appeared  to  him  as  the  adventurer 
of  Boulogne  and  Strasbourg  with  blood  upon  his 


■M' 


148 


Alexis  Clerc, 


hands.  ...  Wo  will  not  repeat  the  extremely  harsh 
expressions  ho  nsetl  to  brand  him ;  doubtless  pity 
would  have  softened  them  after  the  immense  disas- 
ter wherein  that  man  was  wrecked  with  the  fortunes 
of  France.  But  we  cannot  pass  over  this  bitter  cry, 
too  well  justified  by  the  state  of  prostration  and 
torpor  to  which  revolutions  bring  us  :  ** My  grief 
is  to  see  the  whole  country  disown  itself  by  mak- 
ing a  choice  which  is  a  refusal  of  choosing  when 
obliged  to  choose.  It  is  the  suicide  of  a  great 
nation  ;  it  disowns  its  greatness." 

But  perhaps  there  were  more  avowablc  motives 
for  the  choice — for  example,  the  love  of  military 
glory,  of  which  Napoleon  is  our  symbol.  The  mili- 
tary spirit  is  so  deeply  impressed  on  the  French 
character,  it  is  not  absurd  to  believe  that  it  was  it 
which  spoke.  Upon  this  Alexis  adds,  with  good 
reason,  what  people  would  not  understand  in  IS-IS 
or  in  1852,  and  what  we  now  know  only  too  well : 
**  This  would  bo  very  deplorable,  very  unfortunate. 
If  this  were  the  signification  of  Louis  Bonaparte, 
then  there  would  open  a  new  era  of  interminable 
wars  with  all  Europe." 

Another  hypothesis :  We  are  not  republicans ; 
they  want  to  manage  a  return  to  the  monarchy  ; 
in  three  years  a  new  constituency  will  decree  the 
monarchy,  and  universal  suffrage  will  call  Henry  V. 
to  the  throne.  "  If  this  is  what  they  want,"  Alexis 
adds,  "it  is  legitimate,  and  I  will  cheerfully  sub- 
mit. But  it  does  not  make  it  less  deplorable  that 
all  those  monarchists  should  be  ranged  arouud 
,  .  .  such  a  na)}ie."  ^ 


During  the  Events  of  1848. 


149 


\  pity 

disas- 
:tancs 

}r  cry» 
n  and 

y  g^'^^^ 
y  malv- 

g  when 
a  gTeat 

motives 
military 

:he  mill- 
jTrencli 

it  was  it 

itli  good 
ill  1848 
00  weli : 

lortuuate. 
napartc, 
rminablc 

lublicans ; 

lonarcby  ; 
ecree  the 
iHeury  V. 
It,"  Aicxls 
[fully  suIj- 
la\)lc  that 
Id  around 


Such  were  the  politics  of  this  fervent  and  in- 
trepid Christian  at  a  period  when  it  was  so  diflBculb 
to  see  clearly,  and  to  fulfil  without  trouble  as  well 
as  "without  weakness  the  duties  of  a  good  citizen. 
Let  us  acknowledge  that  he  was  not  so  badly  in- 
spired by  his  inviolable  attachment  to  Catholic 
truth,  whose  consequences  reach  far  beyond  the 
sphere  assigned  to  it  by  superficial  minds  or  those 
of  equivocal  sincerity. 

Ah  !  if  we  were  guided  by  principles,  then  the 
world  would  not  see  us  turning  now  to  the  right 
and  now  to  the  left,  and  our  loyalty  would  never 
be  false  to  itself,  when  even  it  should  bepu^,  to  the 
rudest  trials  by  the  errors  and  faults  of  a  govern- 
ment we  had  not  chosen  and  with  which  we  had 
but  little  sympathy. 


Ml'" ,, 

(iiii' 


CHAPTER  V. 


EXPERIMENTS  IN  EPISTOLARY  CONTROVERSY. 

In  the  course  of  March,  1848,  Alexis  wrote  to  his 
father : 

"My  Very  Dear  Father:  Your  kind  and 
most  affectionate  letter  afforded  me  great  pleasure, 
and  I  propose  to  prove  my  gratitude  by  a  de- 
tailed reply. 

"We  guessed  long  ago  that  you  continued  in 
business  only  for  the  sake  of  having  us  enjoy  your 
success.  We  understood  that  tenderness  which  ob- 
stacles could  not  discourage ;  but  it  was  just  and 
natural  that  our  affection  should  be  occupied  with 
you  who  forgot  yourself,  and  that  we  should  wish 
you  to  enjoy  repose  after  so  laborious  a  life.  We 
perfectly  understood  that  you  were  not  one  of 
those  empti/  men  who,  when  released  from  the  ex- 
citement of  a  business  life  and  reduced  to  them- 
selves, are  reduced  to  nothing.  Your  repose,  which 
you  would  well  know  how  to  hinder  from  being 
idle,  would  be  sweet  and  useful. 

"It  is  quite  true  that  you  will  not  have  for  the 
reward  of  your  business  life  even  the  golden  mean, 
the  sufficiency  that  is  neither  wealth  nor  poverty ; 
allow  me,  to  call  things  by  their  right  names: 
your  greatness  of  soul  will  not  render  the  priva- 

150 


Epistolary  Controversy. 


151 


,e 


toliis 


nd  and 
Pleasure, 
)y  a  de- 

inued  in 
ijoy  your 
?hicli  ob- 
jusfc  and 
jied  witli 
fuld  ^isli 
life.    We 
one  oi 
the  ex- 
jto  them- 
fse,  whicli 
.m  being 

le  for  tlie 
ten  mean, 
poverty ; 
It  names: 
Ibe  priva- 


tion a  cruel  one.  Now  that  the  ice  is  broken,  I 
want  to  speak  what  lias  been  in  our  hearts  for  such 
a  long  time — admiration  for  tbe  strength  and  energy 
of  your  character,  for  your  quiet  and  dignified 
resignation  to  your  bad  luck.  We  are  under  obli- 
gations to  you,  dear  father,  for  one  of  the  best 
examples  of  that  true  greatness  of  soul  which  is 
neither  the  insensibility  of  stoicism  nor  the  pride 
of  the  philosopher  who  wears  a  ragged  cloak.  If 
respect  has  hitherto  prevented  us  from  telling  you 
what  your  sons  and  your  friends  think,  it  is  per- 
haps better  to  keep  silence  no  longer  if  wc  desire 
a  less  reserved  intercourse. 

"  It  is  not  upon  the  chances  of  fortune  that  I 
found  the  hoi)o  of  greater  happiness  in  our  family, 
but  upon  our  qualities  ;  I  believe  this  is  the  best 
foundation." 

Evidently  the  father  to  whom  such  a  son  speaks 
in  this  way  has  neither  a  small  mind  nor  a  vulgar 
soul.  How  deeply  Alexis  must  regret  that  their 
mutual  sympathy,  so  perfect  on  all  other  subjects, 
does  not  exist  in  regard  to  religion  !  Until  now  ho 
has  very  rarely  touched  upon  this  delicate  point,  and 
always  with  a  thousand  precautions  and  a  visible 
embarrassment,  feeling  well  that  between  his  faith 
and  that  soul  so  dearly  beloved  there  is  a  whole 
world  of  prejudices.  But  he  will  keep  up  such  re- 
serve no  longer;  he  has  decided  to  break  tiie  ice.  The 
occasion  is  favorable  ;  his  worthy  father,  now  freed 
from  the  bustle  of  a  business  life,  is  not  the  man 
to  rest  idle,  and  what  he  needs  henceforth  to  em- 
ploy the  leisure  of  his  old  age  is  a  mental  occu2)a- 


t^i 


152 


Alexis  Clerc. 


tion  suited  to  the  height  of  his  generous  aspira- 
tions. What  nobler  use  could  he  make  of  his  time 
than  to  consecrate  the  larger  part  of  it  to  the  study 
of  religion,  which,  as  Bossuet  says,  is  "  the  all  of 
man  "  ?  Upon  this  Alexis*  plan  is  made,  and  with- 
out further  delay  he  begins  its  execution.  Let  us 
remember  that  it  is  March,  1848.  The  condition 
of  minds  at  that  period,  the  confident  attitude — 
too  confident,  without  doubt — of  Catholics  in  the 
presence  of  a  liberty  whose  intoxication  was  soon 
to  produce  terrible  effects,  serves  as  an  introduc- 
tion to  the  subject,  and  leads  naturally  to  the  fol- 
lowing reflections  : 

**  I  hope  the  cordial  and  spontaneous  adherence 
of  the  Catholic  clergy  to  the-  popular  movement 
will  have  calmed  the  enrooted  susceptibilities  of 
which  it  is  too  often  the  object.  I  hope,  also, 
that  the  men  who  do  not  think  as  we  do  will  cease 
to  regard  us  as  enemies  of  the  state  and  of  liberty. 
Our  state  religion  was  (a  singular  contradiction) 
under  suspicion  in  the  state  ;  nobody  is  ignorant 
of  how  mistrustful  and  timorous  the  legislator  has 
been  in  regard  to  it. 

"Ought  not  these  fears  to  be  quieted  since  the 
pulpit  echoes  only  the  word  *  liberty '  ?  In  Eome, 
in  Paris,*  in  discourses  and  writings  years  before 
you  stirred  up  revolutions,  the  Church  seemed  to 
have  a  predilection  for  this  theme  of  liberty  in  re- 
ligion and  by  religion.  Her  orators,  her  most  dis- 
tinguished   authors,   devoted   themselves  to   this 


*  Father  Ventura,  Father  Lacordaire,  etc. 


Epistolary  Controversy. 


153 


ispira- 
8  time 
!  study 
}  all  of 
I  with- 
Leb  us 
[id  it  ion 
tude — 
in  the 
as  soon 
troduc- 
tlie  fol- 

herence 
)vement 
ities  of 
»c,  also, 
ill  cease 
liberty, 
liction)  . 
norant 
tor  lias 

Ince  tlie 

Rome, 

before 

Imed  to 

ly  in  re- 

)st  dis- 

Ito   tills 


question.  In  reading  tliem  can  we  help  feeling 
tliafc  tliey  are  inspired  "with  the  true  Christian 
spirit  ?  can  we  help  seeing  those  accusations  of  a 
tendency  to  despotism  and  brutish  authority  which 
are  made  against  their  doctrine  vanish  in  smoke  ? 
Oh  !  the  beautiful,  the  eternally  beautiful  task  of 
demonstrating  that  we  owe  all  liberty,  all  political 
prosperity,  to  the  Church,  even  as  we  owe  superna- 
tural and  moral  truth  to  her.  I  possess  neither 
the  learning  nor  the  talents  necessary  to  undertake 
such  a  task  ;  it  is  reserved  for  some  great  mind. 
But  I  am  jBrmly  convinced  of  the  fact.  I  think,  dear 
father,  that  this  vast  field  of  study  will  not  be 
without  attraction  to  you.  Allow  me  to  mention 
some  works  which  you  can  easily  procure  from  the 
public  libraries  and  which  will  afford  you  the  first 
information  on  the  subject. 

"  There  are  two  ways  of  treating  this  matter. 
The  one  is  philosophical,  taking  facts  in  their 
cause  and  studying  Christian  doctrine  in  its 
relations  to  the  civil  constitution.  This  method  of 
looking  at  the  question  from  above  easily  attains 
to  a  majestic  dignity,  because  it  moves  above  events 
and  is  unshackled  by  time,  places,  and  circum- 
stances ;  it  has,  moreover,  the  advantage  of  being 
brief,  consequently  sacred  orators  adopt  it.  You 
have  already  enjoyed  the  magnificent  funeral  ora- 
tions of  Fathers  Ventura  and  Lacordaire  ;  you 
will  not  less  enjoy  the  conferences  given  this  year 
in  Notre  Dame  by  the  Abbe  Bautain. 

"We  may  also  with  history  in  our  hand  verify 
in  the  facta  themselves  the  influence  of  the  Chris- 


0 

Kir" 


154 


Alexis  Clerc. 


tian  religion  upon  Europe.  The  long  era  of  eigh- 
teen centuries  may  advantageously  he  divided  into 
four  periods.  The  first  extends  from  Jesus  Christ 
to  the  fall  of  the  Roman  Empire;  the  second 
reaches  to  Luther;  the  third  to  the  year  1789;  and 
the  last  io  our  day.  As  to  the  first  of  these  pe- 
riods, all  good  historians  prove  superabundantly 
the  excellence  of  the  Christian  influence  ;  never- 
theless, in  order  that  the  result  may  be  absolutely 
unanswerable,  it  may  perhaps  be  well  to  also  read 
Gibbon,  who,  strongly  opposed  to  Christianity,  en- 
deavors to  prove  that  it  was  established  in  the  world 
by  purely  human  means. 

"  The  second  period  is  illustrated  by  two  emi- 
nent works,  which  are  amply  sufficient,  Guizot's 
*  History  of  Civilization  in  France 'and  'Catholi- 
cism Compared  with  Protestantism,*  by  the  Abbe 
James  Balmes  ;  thus,  made  with  a  Protestant  and  a 
Catholic,  the  study  will  be  quite  impartial.  How- 
ever, the  Catholic  is  a  Spaniard,  and  it  will  some- 
times be  necessary  to  excuse  the  zeal  he  shows  for 
his  country. 

"These  two  works  will  also  throw  great  light 
upon  the  third  period.  Nevertheless,  you  will 
need  to  gain  directly  from  the  study  of  facts  infor- 
mation concerning  what  is  not  treated  of  in  these 
works  ;  at  least,  for  my  part,  I  do  not  know  of  any 
other  books  wherein  the  labor  is  all  done.  Eiual- 
]y,  since  '89,  if  we  do  not  impute  to  her  the  things 
awkward  friends  have  tried  to  do  for  her,  religion 
will  come  forth  stainless,  and  frequently  resplen- 
dent, from  all  investigations.    But  the  fable  of  the 


Epistolary  Controversy, 


155 


1  eigli- 
id  into 
Christ 
second 
89; and 
icse  pe- 
ll dan  tly 
never- 
)solutely 
Iso  read 
,nity,  en- 
,be  world 

two  emi- 
,  Guizot's 
<  Oatboli- 
tlie  Abbe 
;ant  and  a 
.1.  How- 
^ill  some- 
bows  for 

jreat  ligbt 
you   will 
icts  infor- 
in  these 
low  of  any 
Final- 
bio  things 
Ir,  religion 
ly  resplen- 
ible  of  the 


*  Bear  and  the  Lover  of  Gardens '  shonkl  not  bo 
forgotten  by  the  Restoration.  After  liaving  seen 
the  throne  and  the  altar  which  had  endured  for  so 
long  a  time  fall  together,  men  thought  that  by 
leaning  the  one  against  the  other  they  would  be 
mutually  supported.  Grievous  error  !  the  throne 
had  the  support  of  the  altar,  but  the  altar  is  the 
institution  of  God,  and  needs  no  support  from  hu- 
man governments.*  AVbether  the  state  be  monar- 
chial  or  republican,  the  altar  will  remain  for  ever; 
it  is  superior  to  and  mightier  than  all  revolutions. 
Perhaps  we  needed  the  Restoration  to  remind  us 
that  the  tree  of  Christianity  has  its  roots  wo^  plant- 
ed in  the  earth,  and  that  no  earthly  power  can 
cither  destroy  or  strengthen  it." 

We  see  how  Alexis  manages  ^  he  enters  by  his 
father's  door  so  as  to  come  out  by  his  own,  and  he 
is  extremely  cautious  not  to  frighten  away  that 
emeritus  freethinker.  Plainly,  it  is  in  consequence 
of  these  tactics,  necessary,  perhaps,  under  the  cir- 
cumstances, that  Gibbon  is  permitted  to  figure  in 
such  good  company  on  a  programme  of  apologetic 
studies — Gibbon,  whom  Mr.  Guizot  had  not 
thought  he  could  publish  in  French  without  ac- 
companying him  with  notes  that  are  a  sort  of  re- 
futation.     But  Alexis  was  not  wrong  in  thinking 


*  There  are  in  this  assertion  inexactitudes  which  Alexis  will 
correct  after  a  while.  Because  the  altar  can  exist  quite  alone 
by  virtue  from  on  high,  it  does  not  follow  that  governments 
owe  it  no  support,  no  protection,  and  that  the  agreement  of 
the  two  powers  is  not  very  desirable.  Besides,  it  must  be 
confessed  that  under  the  Restoration  the  Church  had  awk- 
ward friends  whose  faults  were  skilfully  made  use  of  by  the 
revolutionary  Machiavelism. 


•ih'i 


I 

0' 


I 


1 5(5 


Alexis  Clerc, 


hi  ilii' 


M 


that  Mr.  Guizot'a  own  v/orks,  provided  those  of 
Bulmes  were  added  as  a  corrective,  were  a  good 
enough  evangelical  preparation  for  a  mind  imbued 
with  the  wholly  negative  philosophy  of  tho  eigh- 
teenth century.  How  did  Mr.  Clerc  receive  this 
overture  ?  Probably  with  rather  a  bad  grace,  and 
the  following  letter  allows  us  a  glimpse  of  the  pre- 
judices Alexis  had  to  deal  with : 

"  My  Dear  Father  :  Ic  is  now  more  than  eight 
days  since  I  first  sat  dovv^n  before  this  sheet  of  jm- 
per  with  my  pen  in  my  hand,  and  yet  I  have 
written  nothing.  The  importance  I  attach  to  what 
I  want  to  say  to  you,  and  the  difficulty  of  saying  it 
well,  are  sufficient  reasons  to  explain  my  dread  of 
undertaking  it.  But  T  make  an  effort,  and,  aban- 
doning myself  to  God's  grace,  I  will  speak  to  you 
heart  to  heart.  Am  I  not  addressing  you,  my  kind 
father,  whose  love  has  made  so  many  sacrifices  for 
me,  and  after  so  many  proofs  of  your  love  shall  I 
hesitate  to  rely  upon  its  causing  you  to  take  in 
good  part  what,  with  a  good  intention,  I  may  say 
that  is  inexact  or  misplaced  ?  Is  not  my  object  to 
unite  our  hearts  more  closely  by  giving  them  a 
more  entire  conformity  one  with  the  other  ? 

"  I  thank  you  for  your  letter  of  September  27, 
but  permit  me  to  complain  that  you  do  not  talk 
about  yourself,  at  least  not  enough  and  as  I  would 
like.  What  I  want  is  to  be  made  a  sharer  of  those 
thoughts  which  we  think  to  ourselves,  which  we 
conceal  from  the  indiscreet  and  indifferent,  which 
it  is  so  sweet  to  communicate  to  a  true  friend. 

"  I  look  in  vain  among  those  that  are  about  you; 


Ui. 


Epistolary  Controversy 


T57 


le  of 
good 
biicd 
cigh- 

this 

and 
5  pre- 

eiglifc 

)f  pa- 

;  have 

)  what 

^ing  it 

ead  of 
aban- 

|:o  Yoa 
ykind 
ies  for 
sliall  I 
ake  in 
ay  say 
ect  to 
[hem  a 

k  27, 
)t  talk 

would 

those 

icli  we 

whicli 

Ltyoii; 


there  is  no  one  to  receive  your  confidences,  dear 
fatlier.  You  have  only  your  sons,  but  tliey  are  not 
yet  your  friends,  for  you  tell  them  exterior  things 
and  not  the  interior.  All  1  well,  I  beg  you  to 
treat;  us  as  friends ;  luivc  no  fear,  that  will  not 
make  us  forget  that  we  are  your  sons.  I  know 
very  well  that  this  confidence  cannot  be  command- 
ed, it  must  bo  given  spontaneously.  Perhaps, 
however,  the  first  effort  will  be  the  last,  and  you 
will  afterwards  find  this  intimacy  easy  and  natural. 
How  I  wish  we  might  seem  to  you  worthy  of  it, 
and  that  we  might  in  every  respect  deservp  the 
beautiful  title  of  staffs  of  your  old  ago  ! 

"Would  you  deem  it  presumption  for  us  to 
claim  that  honor  ?  But  have  not  we  also  lived 
long  enough  to  understand  the  questions  that  may 
arise  in  a  soul  like  yours  ?  What  human  ambition 
remains  to  you  ?  Have  you  not  had  experience 
enough  to  know  that  all  calculations  are  unable  to 
guide  man  to  his  end  ?  Who  better  than  you 
knows  the  instability,  the  imimJpahility,  and,  to 
speak  candidly  and  like  a  Frenchman,  the  vanity 
of  all  that  our  efforts  exhaust  themselves  to  attain  ? 
Finally,  when  I  think  of  your  retired  life,  without 
material  enjoyments  and  without  distraction,  I  am 
sure  that  you  reflect  profoundly  on  those  great  ques- 
tions which  only  the  happy  can  forget  for  a  time. 

"Yes,  most  certainly  such  is  your  secret 
thought,  your  inmost  thought,  and  it  is  what  I 
want  from  you  ;  the  rest  belongs  to  the  kindness 
to  which  I  can  respond  only  by  gratitude ;  to  this 
I  will  respond  with  all  the  powers  of  my  being. 


r 


ill* 


mmm 


158 


Alexis  Clerc. 


ii 


Ml 
hi! 


ii 


.    1 


I'  il 


**  Man's  destiny,  and  the  means  of  accomplish- 
ing it — behold  the  double  problem  which  weighs 
upon  ns  until  we  accept  the  solution  religion  gives! 
And  there  is  no  way  of  escaping  it,  of  withdrawing 
from  it ;  if  we  are  ignorant  of  our  destiny  we  will 
fail  to  attain  it,  and  likewise  if  we  are  ignorant  of 
the  means  of  attaining  it.  To  say  that  man  has 
no  destiny  is  to  say  that  he  was  made  for  nothing, 
and  as  we  cannot  imagine  that  his  Creator  made 
him  without  an  object,  it  is  to  suppose  him  created 
by  nothing  or  by  chance.  Not  to  seek  the  means 
of  fulfilling  our  destiny  is  to  suppose  ^that  means 
have  nothing  to  do  with  it,  or  that  we  will  fulfil  it 
whatever  v/e  do,  or  compulsively,  as  the  earth 
moves  round  the  sun  ;  and  if  we  are  created  for  an 
end,  our  duty  is  then  equally  fulfilled  by  vice  or 
virtue,  which  consequently  are  indifferent  matters. 

''There  certainly  are  some  men  who  defend 
these  follies,  but  it  is  not  T^ell  proven  that  they  be- 
lieve what  they  defend. 

**  Nevertheless,  there  is  no  lack  of  light  by 
which  to  examine  these  capital  questions,  and  the 
number  of  proofs  that  firmly  establish  their  solu- 
tions is,  m  to  speak,  infinite.  History,  the  sacred 
writings,  tradition,  are  the  arsenal  where  they  are 
stored.  One  has  only  to  enter ;  each  will  certamly 
find  the  reason  that  will  determine  his  consent,  at 
least  if  he  does  not  stop  up  the  ears  of  his  soul. 

**I  never  forget  what  you  said  to  me  in  talking 
of  Father  Lacordaire— namely,  that  in  spite  of 
the  beauty  and  strength  of  his  thoughts  and  the 
force  of  his  logic,  there  were  many  objections  to 


:iini 


Epistolary  Controversy. 


159 


oppose  to  him  ;  but  that,  after  all,  it  was  no  easier 
to  oppose  objections  to  a  book  than  to  a  preacher. 
It  is  not  astonishing  that  we  have  objections  to 
oppose  to  the  truths  we  are  even  surest  of.  Tiiere 
is  not  one  that  we  most  thoroughly  hold  which  is 
not  open  to  objections  on  sides  where  we  are  not 
master  of  it.  We  must  rcsigu  ourselves  to  this  and 
use  things  as  we  have  them,  sow  the  wheat  al- 
though we  are  ignorant  of  how  it  shoots  up,  put 
the  bread,  in  the  oven  although  we  are  ignorant  of 
how  it  bakes,  and  eat  it  although  we  are  ignorant 
of  how  it  nourishes  us. 

"  Still,  we  must  not  think  that  by  a  sort  of 
legerdemain  the  apologists  get  rid  of  difficulties,  and 
by  artifice  escape  the  necessity  of  answering  them. 
I  am  convinced  of  their  ingenuousness  and  that 
when  asked  they  always  conscientiously  state  the 
difficulty  just  as  it  is,  their  faith,  their  religion 
being  pledged  not  to  dissimulate.  Therefore  it  is 
with  confidence  I  tell  you  that  all  those  objections 
can  be  answered,  and  that  you  can  easily  see  all 
it  is  given  man  to  see.  It  will  be  enough  for  you 
to  simply  expose  your  difficulties  to  a  doctor  of  our 
law. 

*'  The  Church  possesses  men  whose  varied  talents 
and  qualities  render  them  useful  to  the  needs  of 
each  individual.  If  there  are  priests  who  are  not 
much  of  metaphysicians,  nor  much  of  orators,  who 
only  know  how  to  love  God  very  much  and  to  tell 
men  who  already  have  faith  how  to  make  it  fruit- 
ful and  draw  from  it  a  more  and  more  lively  charity, 
there  are  also  others  who  are  more  learned  and 


»«•'■■■ 


SSf 


i6o 


Alexis  Clerc. 


more  philosophical  than  the  world's  scholars  and 
philosophers,  who  seem  to  be  intended  expressly  for 
people  who  seek  the  faith  they  have  not,  and  who 
EiilTer  from  not  believing.  Tlicy  are  acquainted 
with  all  those  objections,  and  know  what  they  are 
worth.  Do  not  fear  to  find  in  them  that  naked 
and  simple  faith  which  does  not  desire  to  sec  clearly 
for  fear  of  no  longer  seemg  at  all.  It  is  an  exceed- 
ingly inexact  prejudice  to  imagine  that  the  perfec- 
tion of  a  Christian  consists  in  believing  without  mo- 
tives. Certainly  we  must  believe — that  is  to  say,  ad- 
mit— things  that  are  not  proven;  but  we  must  admit 
nothing  save  from  very  powerful  motives.  If  a 
thoughtless  discussion  is  dangerous,  if  it  is  at  least 
useless  to  raise  in  the  minds  of  simple  and  ignorant 
persons  difficulties  which  their  simplicity  and  ig- 
norance will  not  allow  them  to  solve,  there  is  per- 
haps nothing  more  useful  than  an  enlightened 
faith  that  renders  a  thorough  account  of  itself,  and 
this  may  be  found  in  numerous  priests  and  apolo- 
gists. It  is  what  you  want.  I  earnestly  beg  you, 
dear  father,  to  read  the  work  of  a  Mr.  Nicolas,  en- 
titled *  Philosophical  Studies  upon  Christianity,* 
■which  Jules  must  get  for  me.  I  hope  that  you 
will  discover  in  it  the  solidity  of  the  foundations  of 
our  belief. 

"J  cannot  tell  you  how  anxious  I  am  that  you 
should  share  our  faith.  It  is  this  violent  desire 
which  urges  me  to  introduce  without  your  invita- 
tion these  delicate  matters  between  ns.  But  should 
I  not  excite  you  with  my  utmost  strength  to  seek 
happiness  where  it  is  to  be  found  ?  You  will  not 


Epistolary  Cotitroversy, 


i6i 


and 
yfor 

who 
inted 
y  are 
lakcd 
[early 

iCGCd- 

iGi'fec- 
itmo- 
ly,  ad- 
admit 
If  a 
t least 
nor  ant 
Ind  ig- 
3  per- 
il tened 
|lf,  and 
apolo- 
you, 
,s,  cn- 
.nity/ 
,t  you 
ons  ot 

^t  you 
[desire 
n-vita- 
lliould 
seek 
111  not 


impute  all  this  to  the  vain  pleasure  of  playing  the 
TV  ise  and  learned ;  you  will  believe,  is  it  not  so  ?  that 
I  obey  the  voice  of  my  heart." 

It  is  evident  the  heart  only  has  spoken,  and  its 
eloquence  must  make  an  imjiression  on  the  old 
man  who  had  such  positive  proof  of  the  respectful 
and  devoted  affection  of  his  noble  son.  Mr.  Clerc 
does  not  refuse  to  set  himself  to  the  study,  and  he 
affirms  that  he  has  not  taken  sides  against  the 
truth.  To  hear  him,  he  puts  no  obstacle  in  the  way 
of  grace. 

"  My  dear  father,"  Alexis  wrote,  "  you  tell  me 
at  the  first  start  all  the  best  that  can  he  told — that 
you  are  disposed  to  yield  to  grace,  that  you  oppose 
to  it  neither  bad  will  nor  indifference.  Ah  !  my 
God,  this  is  all  man  can  do;  it  is  God  who  does 
the  rest,  and  he  will  certainly  do  it  if  you  perse- 
vere in  your  disposition,  perhaps,  and  even  proba- 
bly, not  by  a  miracle,  but  by  a  gentler  means  which 
will  respect  your  will  and  leave  you  more  of  the 
merit  of  so  difficult  a  step.  Your  heart,  one  day 
docile  to  his  inspiration,  will  adhere  to  the  faith, 
and  objections  will  vanish  like  fog  before  the  rays 
of  the  sun." 

But,  meanwhile,  objections  arrive  from  all  quar- 
ters. Hero  is  one  of  them  which  Alexis  gently 
removes.  Had  Mr.  Clerc  read  Jean  Raynaud  ? 
I  do  not  know,  but,  like  him,  ho  imagined  that  our 
planet  is  not  the  only  one  inhabited,  and  the  des- 
tiny of  the  inhabitants  of  the  other  spheres  seemed 
to  him  a  problem  quite  inexplicable  from  the  point 
of  view  of  Christian  dogma. 


:'j;l 


i^ 


II 


i;i; 


..[' 


ii  ,iii 


162 


Alexis  Clerc, 


"  Your  opinion  about  the  population  of  the  other 
globes,"  Alexis  wrote,  "  is  in  nowise  a  sacrilege ;  it 
is  an  opinion  which  one  is  perfectly  free  to  hold 
or  not  to  hold.  But  there  would  then  exist  be- 
tween those  intelligent  beings  and  ourselves  rela- 
tions of  which  we  are  ignorant,  but  of  which  they 
would  not  be  ignorant,  and  there  would  be  no  diffi- 
culty in  that.  The  work  of  God  being  a  whole,  its 
parts  must  be  co-ordinate,  and  we  are  acquainted 
with  matter  while  it  is  not  acquainted  with  us." 

Mr.  Clerc  is  a  deist ;  natural  religion  suffices 
him,  and  whatever  Father  Lacordaire  may  say 
about  it,  he  does  not  conceive  the  necessity  of  a  re- 
velation. 

"I  come  to  your  prefession  of  faith,"  Alexis 
writes  to  him.  "  I  also  recognize  that  doctrine  to 
be  as  grand  as  it  is  true,  and  I  with  the  whole 
Church  adhere  to  it  completely.  I  think  with  you 
that  it  has  been,  and  that  it  is  still,  a  creed  adopted 
by  a  large  portion  of  mankind.  Many  Christian 
philosophers  have  been  pleased  to  find  it  in  the  tra- 
ditions of  all  nations;  they  have  drawn  from  it 
a  powerful  argument  in  favor  of  a  primitive  re- 
ligion which  all  the  races  carried  away  with 
them  when  they  separated  from  their  trunk.  If, 
then,  Father  Lacordaire  means  by  his  assertion 
that  said  doctrine  is,  perhaps,  historically  the  one 
which  has  the  least  consistence  and  vitality,  that  it 
is  an  isolated  fact,  I  am  not  of  his  opinion^  and  I 
range  myself  on  your  side. 

"  But  if  he  means  that  it  has  never  expressed  it- 
self by  any  great  historical  fact,  that  it  is  incapable 


.  iii* 


Epistolary  Coiitroversy. 


163 


of  doing  so,  that  it  is  inefficacious,  and  that  it  ha3 
no  fecundity,  I  range  myself  on  his  side.  I  see  no 
political  or  social  institution  that  can  result  from 
it.  On  the  contrary,  I  see  them  resulting  from  all 
other  creeds." 

We  omit  the  developments.  Alexis  points  out 
the  institutions  that  have  sprung  from  theocracy, 
Catholicism,  etc.,  and  he  always  returns  to  this 
conclusion,  one  which  agrees  with  history  :  Deism 
is  incapaUe  of  manifesting  itself  hy  institutions. 
Moreover,  deism,  as  we  are  acquainted  with  it,  is 
not  the  fruit  of  reason  alone,  but  owes  immensely 
to  the  Christian  revelation.  Therefore  he  deceives 
himself  who  believes  he  can  with  impunity  disdain 
the  help  of  that  supernatural  and  divine  light. 

Meanwhile  our  young  ensign  receives  new  orders. 
He  embarks  on  the  Pelican,  and  the  little  island  of 
Indret,  in  the  Loire,  becomes  his  habitual  resi- 
dence. 

"Now,"  he  writes  to  his  brother,  "you  ask  me 
what  the  Pelican  is,  and  what  it  does.  Here  is  an 
account :  The  Pelican  is  a  charming  little  iron 
steamer,  not  warlike  in  the  least ;  it  is  as  useful  as 
it  is  pretty.  Its  business  is  to  try  the  screws  used, 
as  propellers.  We  are  now  at  Indret,  and  we  are 
preparing  to  take  some  screws  upon  which  we  will 
experiment  at  Paimba3iif.  The  duty  that  de- 
volves upon  mo  is  almost  nothing,  and  I  have 
scarcely  '"anything  better  to  do  than  to  study  for 
my  own  profit." 

We  shall  see  presently  whether  he  wasted  his 
time.    This  change  gives  rise  to  reflections  which, 


f 


'if 
ii>f  ■ 


164 


Alexis  Clerc. 


under  n,  playful  air,  conceal  a  thoroughly  Christian 
philosophy. 

"There,  now,  I  think  you  are  sufficiently 
posted  ;  I  have  nothing  more  to  tell  you,  and  if 
you  please  we  will  have  a  chat.  I  had  made 
my  nest  at  Brest ;  I  had  my  habits,  my  manias 
perhaps.  I  am  beginning  to  be  something  of  an 
old  bachelor.  My  life  had  little  by  little  filled  up 
with  all  sorts  of  obligations,  and,  without  having 
anything  to  do,  I  was  very  busy.  But  you  know 
how  it  is  with  me  ;  and  this  is  why  I  so  much  ad- 
mire people  who  are  always  disengaged  in  spite  of 
the  burden  of  their  occupations,  people  like 
Madame  Pages.  In  fine,  taking  all  in  all,  I  flattered 
myself  that  I  was  in  quite  comfortable  quarters, 
and  I  lived  tranquil  and  happy.  Why  should  I 
not  acknowledge  it  ?  Cheaply  happy,  if  you  will, 
but  nevertheless  happy.  I  would  gladly  give  you 
a  detailed  description  if  I  could  by  word  of  mouth. 
Behold  !  suddenly  I  have  my  table  cleared  ;  I  must 
construct  a  new  existence  to  see  it  in  a  short  time 
stored  away  like  the  preceding  one,  in  the  shop 
where  they  keep  last  month's  moons.  You  will 
make  fun  of  me  if  I  tell  you  that  I  have  discovered 
that  all  things  jiass  away  very  quickly,  and  if  I  talk 
to  yon  of  the  flower  of  the  fields.  What  is  sure  is 
that  sailors  often  have  it  in  their  power  to  verify 
this  kind  of  sayings. 

"Again,  it  is  sure  that  when  one  limits  himself 
to  this  conclusion  he  has  not  advanced  very  far, 
and  to  be  logical  he  must  draw  from  it  this  other 
consequence,  which  is  quite  as  new :  it  is  wise  to 


i. 


Epistolary  Controversy. 


i65> 


provide  one's  self  with  a  iiost  tliafc  would  not  be 
shaken  by  every  wind.  This  is  very  well,  but  the 
difficulty  is  to  find  such  a  one. 

*'  I  was  well  off  at  Brest,  I  am  perhaps  better 
off  here;  nevertheless,  lam  completely  disarranged. 
What,  then,  would  become  of  me  if  I  should 
meet  with  some  misfortune  ?  For  a  long  while  I 
have  only  labored  to  advance  myself  towards  that 
happy  state  wherein  all  these  events  do  not  affect 
us,  but  I  have  not  succeeded." 

lie  found  his  nest  at  Indret  without  much 
trouble.  There  was  everything  for  him  in  being 
the  assistant  of  so  distinguished  a  man  as  Lieuten- 
ant (now  Admiral)  Bourgois.  Clerc  appreciated 
still  more  the  advantage  of  finding  in  that  officer  a 
great  comformity  of  sentiments  on  all  essenlial 
points.  In  addition  to  this,  the  little  island  of 
Indret  was  a  charming  abode,  where  he  could  satisfy 
to  his  heart's  content  both  his  need  of  activity  and 
his  attraction  for  solitude.  Ilis  windows  looked 
out  upon  the  vast  buildings  appropriated  to  the 
foundry,  the  forges,  the  tools,  etc.,  and  thence 
without  any  other  distraction  ho  could  follow  in 
the  diversity  of  their  labors  seven  to  eight  hundred 
workmen  occupied  from  morning  to  night  in  con- 
structing, under  the  direction  of  skilful  engineers, 
all  the  parts  of  the  superb  engines  for  steam  navi- 
gation. A  po: '  ion  of  these  workmen  formed  the 
fixed  population  of  the  island  ;  the  others,  the 
greater  number  of  them,  lived  on  the  left  bank  of 
the  livci;  .. hich  was  connected  with  the  island  by 
a  causeway.     A  fleet  of  boats  transported  from  one 


i66 


Alexis  Chrc. 


^1 

Ml 

r 

;t 


i 


ill  'If' 


In 


bank  to  tho  otlicr  those  avIio  had  their  dwellings 
on  the  right  bank,  cither  at  Basse-Indrc  or  at 
Coueron.  The  director  and  the  higher  function- 
aries of  the  establishment  lived  in  a  chdtean,  for 
Indret  possesses  a  chateau  which  goes  back  to  the 
feudal  period,  and  which,  falling  into  ruins,  was 
rebuilt  by  the  Duke  de  Mcrca)ur  in  the  closing 
years  of  tho  sixteenth  century.  In  1G50  the  queen 
regent,  Anne  of  Austria,  gave  it  to  Abraham 
Duquesne,  who,  with  a  fleet  equipped  at  his  own 
expense,  had  routed  the  soldiers  of  La  Fronde  and 
decided  tho  surrender  of  Bordeaux.  But  much 
more  ancient  and  precious  memories  are  attached 
to  the  visits  of  a  holy  personage  to  the  island, 
where  he  built  himself  an  oratory.  Hermeland, 
born  at  Noyon,  in  Picardy,  towards  tho  middle  of 
the  seventh  century,  was  the  founder  of  the  mon- 
astery of  Aindre,  situated  on  the  right  bank  of  the 
Loire,  in  the  district  that  incli.ies  at  the  present 
day  the  parish  and  corporation  of  Basse-Indre. 
Several  times  a  year,  especially  in  Lint,  that  great 
lover  of  solitude  withdrew  to  the  little  island  of 
Aindrette  (Indret),  to  devote  himself  with  full 
liberty  to  prayer  and  the  exercises  of  penance. 
Such  was  the  origin  of  the  hermitage,  which  a 
faithful  historian  describes  as  follows  :  "  This  con- 
struction is  composed  of  two  towers  close  against 
one  another  and  built  of  rough  stones  admirably 
cemented  together.  They  are  surmounted  by  an 
oblong  platform  representing  the  figure  8^  to  which 
the  visitor  ascends  by  a  staircase  winding  round  the 
monument.     The  platform  is  covered,  doubtless 


Epistolary  Controversy, 


167 


for  the  sake  of  preserving  it,  with  a  thick  coat  of 
mastic.  The  two  towers  communicate  from  the 
interior,  but  each  of  them  has  a  separate  exterior 
door.  From  the  platform  there  is  a  magnificent 
view — the  Loire,  the  country  on  its  right  and  left 
banks,  Coueron,  Pellerin,  Basse-Indre,  etc.  The 
eye  takes  in  an  immense  horizon,  a  vast  extent  of 
territory,  a  superb  sheet  of  water."  * 

Previous  to  1844  Indret  had  no  church.  To  as- 
sist at  the  divine  offices  its  inhabitants  were  ob- 
liged to  cross  the  broad  arm  of  tlic  Loire  which 
separated  them  from  their  parish  of  Basse-Indre, 
or  reach  with  great  difficulty  the  market  town  of 
Saint  Jean-de-Boisseau,  nearly  three  miles  distant. 
At  last  the  necessity  of  bringing  the  helps  of  re- 
ligion a  little  nearer  to  them  was  understood.  A 
hydraulic  machine  shop  was  converted  into  a 
chapel,  and  shortly  afterwards  raised  to  a  paro- 
chial church.  It  was  blessed  by  Monseigneur  de 
Herce,  Bishop  of  Nantes,  who  placed  it  under  the 
invocation  of  St.  Herraeland,  the  natural  patron  of 
the  island,  and  of  St.  Anne,  the  cherished  pitroH- 
ess  of  the  Bretons. 

There  were  scliools  at  Indret — a  professional 
school  for  the  instruction  of  the  young  workmen, 
an  elementary  school  for  the  apprentices,  primary 
schools  for  the  boys  and  girls,  and  finally,  an 
asylum.  Alexis  found  there,  as  well  as  at  Brest, 
all  he  needed  to  live  in  imitation  of  St.  Vincent  de 


f 


*  "Indret."  By  M.  Babron,  Inspector  of  the  Administra- 
tive Services  of  the  Navy  ("The  Imperial  Establishments  of 
the  Fi-ench^Navy  "). 


i68 


Alexis  Clcrc. 


m  i 


ill!  ■'ii 


.'* 


Paul — the  poor,  the  ignorant;,  and  children.  To 
these  let  us  add  the  sick,  for  the  marshy  exhala- 
tions on  the  banks  of  the  Loire  engender  malarial 
fevers  which  prevail  in  that  section  from  spring  to 
autumn.  Is  it  astonishing,  now,  if  in  that  little 
corner  of  the  earth  he  was  able  to  display  a  great 
activity  of  zeal  and  charity  ? 

But  having  his  correspondence  before  us,  we 
might  suppose,  to  judge  f  om  the  length  and 
gravity  of  bis  letters  wherein  so  many  questions 
are  brought  up  in  turn  and  sometimes  treated  ex- 
2)rofcssOy  that  he  lived  all  this  time  like  a  Bene- 
dictine in  the  furthest  corner  of  a  cell  abundantly 
lined  with  books.  At  all  events,  excursions  on  the 
Loire  occupied  his  thoughts  less  than  the  reading 
of  St.  Augustine  and  St.  Thomas. 

Once,  however,  learning  that  his  father  had 
passed  long  and  wearisome  hours  at  the  bedside  of 
his  sick  brother,  ho  changes  his  theme  and  offers 
an  agreeable  diversion  by  writing  what  follows  ; 

**  Madame  de  S tells  me  that  Jules  is  sick. 

The  disease  is  not  dangerous,  and  requires  princi- 
pally that  care  should  be  taken  to  protect  him 
from  the  cold.  Still,  dear  father,  I  hope  you  will 
keep  me  informed.  It  is  not  very  far  from  Nantes 
to  you,  and  I  could  do  my  part  as  sick-nurso. 
Nevertheless,  I  imagine  you  are  not  too  much  oc- 
cupied to  read  what  you  asked  me  about  the  Peli- 
can. 

*'  The  steam-screw  is  made  exactly  like  a  cork- 
screw. Suppose  a  screw  to  be  attached  to  a  vessel, 
and  that  the  water  resists  it  as    a   solid    body 


Epistolary  Controversy. 


169 


would  ;  then  the  vessel  will  advance  widi  each 
turn  of  the  screw  just  as  if  it  were  fastened  to  an 
ordinary  one  that  penetrated  a  fixed  nut.  But  the 
water,  instead  of  resisting  the  screw  like  a  fixed 
nut,  yields  a  little  to  the  pressure  it  receives, 
and  in  ono  revolution,  instead  of  advancing  its 
whole  thread,  the  screw  advances  only,  let  us  say, 
eighty  per  cent.,  as  if  it  had  advanced  its  whole 
thread  in  a  nut  which  had  at  the  same  time  re- 
coiled twenty  per  cent,  of  the  thread  of  the  screw. 
In  this  case  we  say  that  the  screw  has  twenty  per 
cent,  of  recoil." 

He  bravely  pursues  his  demonstration,  compar- 
ing the  pitch  of  the  thread  in  the  screw  of  the  pro- 
peller to  that  of  the  ordinary  screw,  and  explain- 
ing how  a  fraction  of  its  thread  suffices  a  screw  to 
exercise  a  very  efficacious  pressure  on  the  water. 
We  will  not  follow  him  in  this  explanation  wherein 
he  brings  science  down  to  the  capacity  of  the  pro- 
fane, like  an  amiable  and  always  gay  yulgarizcr. 
lie  concludes  with  considerations  upon  the  advan- 
tages of  screw  vessels,  especially  those  intended  for 
tow-boats.  lie  says:  "  This  is  what  we  have  proved 
in  three  voyages  we  have  made  to  Brest,  towing 
three  brigs  a  great  deal  larger  than  ourselves.  The 
Pelican  kills  two  birds  with  one  stone  :  she  docs  a 
heavy  business,  while  at  the  same  time  she  studies 
and  announces  results  which  are  of  the  highest  im- 
portance." 

But  he  does  not  lose  sight  of  his  principal  ob- 
ject, and  he  returns  to  it  as  soon  as  he  can,  as  we 
learn  from  the  following  letter  : 


t 


f.ri' 


p" 


!»<' 


170 


Aicxis  Clcrc. 


.1        M 
\  I 


"Dear  Fattieii  :  I  hope  now  that  on r  good 
Jules  is  not  only  out  of  danger,  but  progressing  in 
a  convalcsocnce  wlioso  tcdiousncss  you  are  reliev- 
ing. The  fiiiibful  watch  you  keep  over  him  re- 
minds me  how  you  were  once  my  sick-nurse. 
Jules'  good  disposition  will  repay  your  kind  care 
better  than  I  did.  Tlie  ill-nature  of  the  patient 
whom  nothing  satisfies,  and  who  never  thinks  that 
cnousjh  is  done  for  him,  is  not  one  of  the  least 
troubles  of  the  nurse. 

"I  have  thought  I  might  resume  our  serious 
correspondence,  and  that  you  are  not  too  preoc- 
cupied to  follow  it.  I  have  already  another  letter 
nearly  finished,  which  will  probably  be  mailed  to- 
morrow. It  is  the  beginning  of  an  'Apology  for 
the  Patriarchs,*  which  I  translate  from  St.  Augus- 
tine. As  it  will  bo  long,  I  economize  time  by  send- 
ing the  translation  just  as  ±  have  first  written  it, 
perhaps  a  little  obscure  sometimes,  and  in  any  sort 
of  French  ;  there  will  very  likely  bo  some  miscon- 
structions of  the  Latin  text.  However,  I  do  as  well 
as  I  can.  It  would  bo  better  if  1  had  wholly 
translated,  then  revised  my  translation  ;  then  I 
could  send  it  to  you  all  at  once.  But  this  would 
have  been  an  interminable  job,  and  I  do  not  know 
if  I  would  have  had  the  courage  to  persevere.  By 
means  of  immediate  and  numerous  forwardings  I 
divide  my  business  into  little  portions  which  have 
the  advantage  of  abridging  my  task.  I  take  it  all 
from  the  work  against  Faustus  the  Manichean. 
You  know  that  that  heresy  was  perhaps  the  most 
criminal  of  all,  and  nothing  is  more  legitimate  than 


Epistolary  Controversy. 


171 


•  good 
in:];  in 
roUcY- 
im  rc- 
-luirsc. 
id  care 
patient 
ks  that 
lie  least 

serious 
)  prcoc- 
er  letter 
liled  to- 
logy  for 
Angns- 
by  send- 
ttcn  it, 
any  sort 
miscon- 
as  well 
wholly 
tlicn   I 
3  would 
ot  know 
ftre.    By 
dings  I 
icli  lia\  e 
vo  it  all 
licliean. 
be  most 
ate  than 


the  severity  with  which  St.  Augustine  dcnouncea 
its  sophisms. 

"  As  you  arc  perfectly  free  from  tlio  errors  of 
those  unfortunate  pcoi)lo,  altliougli  they  made  al- 
most the  same  objections  as  you  on  the  subject 
of  tiic  patriarclis,  you  will  understand  that  you 
must  leave  to  tliem  what  belongs  only  to  them 
which  I  have  not  been  careful  to  omit. 

"  I  have  equally  commenced  a  reply  to  Jules, 
whoso  long  letter  proves  tangibly  his  sanitary  im- 
provement." 

The  translation  of  St.  Augustine  is  accompanied 
by  this  short  preface: 

"Althongli  at  first  sight,  my  dear  father,  your 
opinion  on  the  Gubjcct  of  the  patriarchs  maybe  very 
natural — and  I  frankly  confess  that  I  held  the 
same  for  a  long  lime — I  have  no  fear  that  you  will 
preserve  it  after  tho  pica  I  am  going  to  make  ;  and 
if  I  am  so  confident,  it  is  because  I  take  tliis  ])lca 
entirely  from  St.  Augustine,  and  because  I  shall 
give  you  the  commentary  and  development  of  that 
passage  of  tho  *  Confessions  '  which  seemed  ob- 
scure to  you  "  (1.  iii.  c.  vii.) 

The  discussion  then  is  thoroughly  on  foot.  Mr. 
Clerc  reads  St.  Augustine's  '^  Confessions  " ;  he  also 
reads  the  Bible  ;  he  also  reads,  jien  in  hand,  tho 
*'  Philosophical  Studio  ? "  of  Auguste  Nicolas  ;  but 
these  readings,  to  which  he  lends  himself  v/ith  a  cer- 
tain good-will,  he  pursues,  nevertheless,  with  the 
inveterate  prejudices  of  a  too  faithful  disciple  of 
Voltaire.  Objections  spring  up  in  crowds  in  his 
mind,  renewing  each  moment  the  task  of  his  sou 


«i 
tl 

I 


I" 


ll 


,f' 


:.♦■■ 


172 


Alexis  Clcrc. 


1* 


^i 


i'f  II 


i  ''.11 


l||! 


\m\ 


who  continues  to  acquit  lumsclf  of  it  witli  the  best 
heart  and  the  best  grace  in  tlio  world.  Alexis  had 
not  badly  chosen  in  taking  his  reply  from  St. 
Augustine's  lengthy  treatise  against  Faustus ;  he 
tiius  convinced  his  father  that  the  great  doctor  was 
very  capable  of  defending  himself,  and  that  his 
reasoning,  sometimes  obscure  from  excessive  con- 
ciseness, was  always  just  and  solid,  as  could  be 
proved  by  referring  to  the  writings  in  which  he  had 
leisure  to  develop  it. 

Wc  need  not  say  that  avc  do  not  intend  to  re- 
produce Alexis'  translation,  which  fdls  more  than 
thirty-tv/o  pages  of  line  writing,  and  embraces 
almost  forty  chapters  of  St.  Augustine's  work. 
Mr.  Olerc  is  astonished  at  such  an  ardor  of  zeal  ; 
lie  thinks  there  is  a  plan  of  doing  him  violence  and 
carrying  him  off  by  storm.  Alexis  has  some  difli- 
ciilty  in  reassuririg  him. 

He  writes:  "Certainly  what  I  desire  more  than 
anything  else  in  the  world  is  to  see  you  share  our 
religious  faith,  and  you  are  sufficiently  acquainted 
with  the  Catholic  religion  to  know  that  if  it  were 
otherwise  it  would  ^  a  sign  that  I  had  lost  that 
faith. 

'*Ycu  ought,  then,  to  perceive  that  I  do  not 
take  a  road  which  seema  the  shortest  in  the  world 
to  lead  you  to  it.  In  tho  ilrst  place,  I  repeat  that 
I  have  not  that  pretension.  To  induce  on  your 
part  conscientious  meditations  is  what  1  propose  to 
myself  principally  ;  then,  here  and  there  some  suc- 
cess on  isolated  subjects.  This  is  almost  the  liinit 
of  my  ambilion.     1  know  from  experience  how  the 


Epistolary  Conirovcrsy. 


173 


he  best 
xis  bad 
)m  St. 
Ais;  be 
itor  was 
,bat  bis 
vc  con- 
ould  be 
1  be  bad 

d  to  rc- 
)rc  tbaii 
imbraces 
's  work, 
of  zeal  ; 
eiicc  and 
mc  ditll- 

)rc  tban 
iuirc  our 
luaiuted 
it  were 
lost  that 

do  not 
he  worbl 

l-icat  til  at 
I  on  your 
•oposc  to 
iinc  snc- 
Lbc  liuiit 
bow  tbc 


road  you  liave  to  travel  must  bo  gone  ov^i  ;  notb- 
ing  isfurtbcr  from  me  tban  a  wish  to  seize  upon 
your  will  by  main  force.  If  you  already  felt 
inclined  to  believe,  I  sbould  endeavor  with  ull  mv 
efforts  to  determine  your  inclination  ;  but  for  the 
present  I  keep  myself,  and  desire  to  remain^ 
although  it  be  more  wearisome,  in  controversy. 
For  we  who  have  for  a  longer  or  sbortcr  time 
rejected  all  faitli,  wc  cannot  at  once  return  to  a 
simple,  uncjucstioning  faith,  which  in  some  sort  is 
unconscious  of  itself,  and  is  not  aware  of  the  dilli- 
cuUies  of  wbat  is  proposed  to  it  to  believe;  our 
faith  must  ])c  conscious  of  itself,  and  must  not  be 
afraid  of  facing  the  greatest  difficulties.  Its  merit 
must  consist  in  ai)preciating  those  difficulties  and 
surmounting  them  by  an  elToit  of  tbe  will.  All 
your  objections  are  and  will  be  well  received  ;  I 
would,  if  necessary,  suggest  tbeni  to  you,  to  the 
end  that  your  decision,  Avbich  I  sincerely  bope  will 
come  some  day,  might  be  enlightened,  firm,  and 
immovable.  It  is  impossible  to  understand  our 
mysteries  perfectly.  You  will  bave  no  more  ob- 
jections to  make  only  wben  you  shall  have  a  lively 
faith.  But  notwithstanding  tbc  obscurity  of  the 
mysteries,  notwithstanding  tbe  difficulties  of  the 
unanswered  objections,  it  is  probable  tliat  you  will 
Eomc  day  have  enough  light  in  your  soul  to  be- 
lieve." 

Hero  is  a  letter  in  which  ho  talks  a  little  about 
everything — first  about  marriage  ;  it  is  his  least 
anxiety,  and  his  friends  tease  him  to  make  known 
wliat  wiU  be  bis  final  resolution  on  tbe  subject  : 


d 

'•1 


If 


p!.i 


1/4 


Alexis  Clerc. 


I  '1^ 


m 


i\ 


'*  I  have  for  the  present  no  desire  for  marriage, 
and  I  have  done  no  more  here  than  lend  myself  to 
what  an  active  friendship  exacts  of  me.  I  have 
not  been  able  to  go  to  Nantes  since  I  wrote  you, 
and  I  sliould  be  greatly  astonished  if  that  plan 
came  to  anything,  for  the  reason,  among  others, 
that  our  stay  on  the  Loire  will  not  probably  con- 
tinue much  lonjier.      AYith  regard  to  IST — 


vrnM 


—  there 

is  nothing  to  say,  since  I  am  not  willing  now  to 
contract  indissoluble  ties.  I  think  you  cau  guess 
tlie  reasons  without  my  developing  them.  But  if  I 
should  marry,  I  believe  she  would  be  a  good  se- 
lection.*' 

The  great  affair  now  is  the  books  wherein  he 
can  study  religion : 

"  By  my  letter  of  Saturday  you  have  seen  that 
in  the  matter  of  the  books  you  did  right,  and  al- 
though, according  to  my  usual  fashion,  I  acted  so 
as  to  confuse  everything,  since  I  engaged  myself 
before  getting  your  answer,  all  is  perfectly  arranged. 
I  had  sent  to  buy  Godescard  again,  but  I  am  very 
well  satisfied  that  you  have  bought  it.  The  price 
they  asked  me  here  was  23  frs.  and  25  centimes 
($•4.05)  ;  it  was  the  only  one  that  was  cheaper  in 
Paris  ;  thus  it  all  happened  right.  Have  the  kind- 
ness to  order  it  put  in  a  half-binding,  which  will 
be  the  strongest." 

So  Godescard,  bound  or  not,  is  in  Mr.  Clcrc's 
hands,  and  only  waits  an  opportunity  to  make  the 
journey  to  Indret.  And  just  at  tlie  proper  time 
behold  Commander  Bourgois,  who  is  about  to  take 
a  trij)  to  Paris,  offers  his  services,      *'  But  it  is 


Epistolary  Controversy. 


175 


nagc, 
self  to 
[  liaye 
3  you, 
b  plan 
)thers, 
ly  con- 
-  there 
now  to 
I  guess 
3nfc  if  I 
ood  se- 
rein be 

en  that 
and  al- 
io ted  so 
myself 
[ranged, 
ini  very 
^c  price 
)ntimcs 
lapcr  in 
]e  kind- 
lich  will 

Ci  ore's 
like  tlio 
jr  time 
I  to  take 
Lit  it  is 


rather  heavy,"  Alexis  observes  ;  "  it  would  perhaps 
be  better  not  to  trouble  him  with  it." 

*^  Besides,"  he  continues,  "  if  you  would  like  to 
read  tlioso  wonderful  histories  of  the  saints,  I  beg 
you  to  keep  them  ;  I  have  no  urgent  need  of  the 
book.  Moreover,  I  would  be  delighted  to  hear  the 
judgment  you  will  pass  upon  men  so  extraordinary, 
and  who  are  as  much  further  above  the  greatest 
heroes  than  these  are  above  the  rest  of  mankind. 
Some  of  them  in  particular  were  the  sensible  organs 
of  Providence  in  the  age  in  which  they  lived,  and 
their  lives  belong  to  history  properly  so  called. 
Thus,  Mr.  Augustin  Thierry  has  produced  very 
pleasing  historical  works  while  confining  himself 
to  events  connected  with  St.  Gregory  of  Tours. 
The  lives  of  St.  Gregory  of  Tours,  of  St.  Germanus 
of  Paris,  of  St.  Pretcxtatus  of  Rouen,  of  St.  Hilary 
of  Poitiers,  of  St.  Martin  of  Tours,  and  of  the 
other  bishops,  St.  Pelix,  St.  Clair,  St.  Pasquier '•' 
of  Xantes,  St.  Cesarius  of  Aries,  and  of  all  the 
others  whose  names  I  do  not  remember,  is  the  sub- 
stance of  the  history  of  France  in  those  times  of 
the  invasion  and  of  the  Merovingian  rule;  it  is 
there  that  we  can  best  study  the  spirit  of  that  mon- 
archy constructed  by  bishops,  as  hives  are  by  the 
bees,  according  to  Gibbon's  expression. 

*•' Whoever  is  acquainted  with  St.  Tiioraas  and 
St.  Anselm,    etc.,    is   acquainted   with  the    whole 

*  Ho  wasQarefiil  not  fco  forgot  thi-»  bishop,  who,  nccirding 
to  tho  author  of    the    "Lil'o  of    Wt.  Honneland,"  was  tho 
founder  of  tho  monastery  of  Aindro,  and  placed  at  its  bead 
tho  holy  abbot  whose  bcraiita^j  Is  saowii  in  tho  island  of  lu 
drct.. 


«i 

(•1 


;,J 


mm^^ 


176 


Alexis  Clerc. 


I' 


4; 
..ft, 


liii 


learning  of  tlie  Middle  Ages.  St.  Louis,  St.  Ber- 
nard, St.  Dominic,  St.  Gregory  VII.,  sum  up  their 
epochs.  Finally,  if  for  any  reason  whatsoever  you 
wou'ld  like  to  read  them,  I  bog  you  to  keep  them 
(Godescfrd's  ^  Lives  of  the  Siiints'  *  )  until  I  start 
on  a  loiig  voyage.'*' 

The  names  v/ore  repeated  from  memory,  and 
somewhat  confusedly,  which  did  not  agree  with  a 
great  historical  exactness.  Mr.  Clerc,  who  noticed 
this,  was  delighted  to  catch  his  son  at  fault,  and  we 
may  guess  what  was  the  import  of  his  criticism  by 
the  following  reply  of  Alexis: 

**  My  Dear  Father  :  I  must  agree  with  you 
as  to  the  -carelessness  with  which  I  wrote  the  names 
of  some  of  the  saints  I  mentioned.  In  fact,  I  do 
not  know  if  Godescard's  work  gives  them  the 
prominence  I  attribute  to  them ;  and  more,  I  do 
not  know  the  entire  life  of  each,  and  I  had  j^rin- 
cipally  in  view  that  fecundity  of  the  faith  which 
filled  our  beloved  country  wiih  saints  at  the  peri- 
od when  its  character,  is  nationality,  had  birth. 
Those  grand  figures  present  themselves,  perhaps, 
out  of  their  right  point  of  view  in  a  work  which 
offers  them  all,  and  which,  perhaps,  was  not  con- 
ceived as  it  should  have  been  to  suit  you  best.  I 
am  acquainted  with  some  of  them  from  their  mono- 
graphs ;  one  perhaps  gets  a  better  appreciation  of 
their  grandeur  in  that  way.  Still,  I  believe,  after 
what  you  tell  me,  that  the  chief  reason  of  your 
judgment  comes  from  the  mistrust  witfi  which  a 

*  A  French  translation  of  Butler. 


Epistolary  Controversy. 


1/7 


miraculous  occurrence  always  inspires  you,  so  that 
by  a  sort  of  rebound  you  do  not  accept  as  quite 
certain  even  what  is  not  miraculous.  It  is  true 
that  in  those  histories  the  natural  and  the  super- 
natural are  fcund  closely  connected,  mingled,  con- 
founded, until  it  is  impossible  to  distinguish  them. 
With  regard  to  this,  I  refer  to  what  I  have  already 
written  you  about  miracles.  I  gave  to  those  pages 
at  the  time  all  the  conscientious  study  I  am  capable 
of  ;  I  judge  of  them  now  from  a  memory  which  is 
already  indistinct,  and  perhaps  I  deceive  myself  in 
thinking  they  answer  your  present  doubts.  I  add 
— what  probably  may  be  found  in  some  preface  or 
note  of  Godescard — that  all  the  miracles  of  the 
saints  are  not  articles  of  faith,  but  those  only  upon 
which  the  Court  of  Rome  has  pronounced  in  the 
process  of  the  canonization  of  the  saint.*  More- 
over, the  rules  of  criticism  can  here  be  rigorously 
applied. 

"  Your  parallel  between  the  Abbot  Suger  and 
»Sfc.  Bernard  may  be  wholly  to  the  advantage  of  the 
first,  without  my  blaming  your  judgment  in  the 
least,  Suger  being  certainly  very  enlightened, 
very  wise,  very  prudent,  and  meriting  very  strong 
praise.  But  that  great  man  held  St.  Bernard — I 
will  not  say  in  the  highest  esteem  ;  he  regarded 
him  as  a  very  great  saint,  as  an  oracle  inspired  by 
God.  I  recollect  a  letter  of  Suger  to  St.  Bernard 
which  breathes  these  sentiments.     He  also  received 

*  An  error  :  even  those  are  not  of  faith,  and,-  in  general, 
no  miracle  related  by  historians  is  of  faith  ;  but  there  v<^ould 
be  a  great  and  culpable  rashness  in  denying  those  which  are 
recognized  as  such  by  the  Holy  See. 


K 


iC 


1.9i*' 


liSii^ 


178 


Alexis  Ckrc. 


with  humility  and  submission  the  remonstrances  of 
tliG  Abbot  of  Clairvaux  upon  his  luxury,  and  there- 
upon reformed  liis  own  house  and  his  abbey.  If 
Su^er  liimself  is  not  a  saint,  I  think  he  is  what  is 
called  in  the  odor  of  sanctity.  Ho  did  not  want 
the  Crusades.  That  was  natural  enough  in  a  mi- 
nister who  believed  he  did  well  in  exaggerating 
prudence.  St.  Bernard  preached  them.  It  is 
doing  better  still  to  scorn  all  human  prudence,  and 
to  trust  only  in  God,  and  it  is  a  duty  to  act  thus 
when  we  are  sure  that  he  commands.  But  that 
immense  fact  of  the  Crusades  is  too  fruitful  a  sub- 
ject of  discussion,  and  assuredly  I  shall  not  add 
new  subjects  to  tliose  wc  already  have.  St.  Ber- 
nard, Peter  the  Hermit,  and  the  Popes,  were  not 
influenced  by  the  spirit  of  their  contemporaries. 
Tl]ey  directed  it ;  still  more,  they  incited  it  j 
and  not  to  regard  them  as  the  promoters  of  those 
heroic  enterprises  is  to  depreciate  their  part  in  his- 
tory. A  minister  of  peace  can,  nevertheless,  exer- 
cise terrible  justice.  Who  has  said  of  St.  Peter 
that  ho  was  the  minister  of  vengeance  and  not  of 
of  peace  because  he  struck  dead  Ananias  and 
Saphira  ?  " 

As  he  pursues  his  theme  ideas  crowd  upon  him, 
and,  almost  without  knowing  it,  Alexis  fills  with 
his  finest  writing  a  dozen  more  pages,  wherein, 
after  having  expressed  himself  about  the  Crusades, 
he  makes  an  apology  for  the  macerations  of  the 
saints  ;  and  he  sums  up  his  opinions  in  this  final 
conclusion  :  "  What  I  want  to  tell  you  once  again 
is  that  the  admirable  charily  of  a  St.  Vincent  de 


Epistolary  Controversy, 


1 79 


Paul  is  not  a  sanctity  different  from  tlio  austeriues 
of  a  St.  Simeon  Stylites,  the  preaching  of  a  St. 
Bernard,  or  the  missions  of  a  St.  Francis  Xavicr  ; 
all  these  different  forms  of  merit  are  fruits  of  the 
same  grace,  which  is  their  common  saj'),  and  their 
roots  are  planted  in  the  same  soil  of  benediction, 
which  is  the  love  of  God." 

Coming  from  an  officer  of  the  navy  who  has 
so  much  other  business  on  his;  hands,  these  contro- 
Yersial  efforts  have  certainly  their  value.  They 
manifest  a  soul  nourished  with  the  marrow  of 
Christianity,  and  one  that  daily  meditates  upon 
eternal  truths.  Moreover,  though  he  never  makes 
a  parade  of  knowledge,  still  less  of  erudition,  ho 
lets  us,  when  the  occasion  requires,  guess  at  a 
learning  as  varied  as  comprehensive,  gathered  with 
discernment  from  the  best  sources.  With  what 
competence  he  speaks  of  St.  Bernard  !  This  will 
surprise  us  l^ss  when  we  learu  that  he  has  read  not 
only  the  life  of  the  great  Abbot  of  Clairvaux,  but 
also  his  works  (part  of  them  at  least)  in  the  origi- 
nal ;  we  might  have  cited  some  of  his  letters  iu 
which,  commissioning  his  father  to  get  him  a  copy 
of  St.  Bernard,  he  descants  upon  the  respective 
merits  of  the  different  editions  like  a  bibliographer 
Avho  understands  his  business. 

Perhaps  the  reader  has  not  forgotten  how  he 
admired  in  La  Bruycre  that  chapter  on  "Les 
Esprits  Forts,"  where  the  great  thinker  of  the 
seventeenth  century  renders  so  beautiful  a  homage 
to  the  learning  and  genius  of  a  Leo,  a  Basil,  a 
Jerome,   an  Augustine,  and   where  suddenly  he 


••1 


^•'^ 


>*' .  tr 

%^ 

■-  + 

.V  .11 

^^11!    (if 


I^'O 


Alexis  CI  ere. 


'.•\ 


!  ^Ib 


I  ! 


m 


!l    i/lil 


w  %■& 


'W\ 


,1 


liii 

Si 


cries  out :  ^'  A  Father  of  the  Church,  a  Doctor  of 
the  Church — what  titles !  what  gloom  in  their 
writings,  what  dryness,  what  cold  devotion,  and, 
possibly,  what  learning  !  exclaim  tho.^e  who  have 
never  read  them.  What  astonishment  for  all  who 
liave  formed  such  erroneous  ideas  of  the  Fathers 
when  they  discover  in  their  works  more  variety  and 
delicacy,  more  polish,  more  richness  of  expression, 
and  stronger  reasoning,  brighter  flashes  of  genius, 
and  more  natural  graces  of  style,  than  can  bo 
found  in  the  greater  part  of  the  favorite  modern 
books  which  bring  fame  and  vanity  to  their  au- 
thors I  What  a  pleasure  to  love  religion  and  to 
see  ?t  believed,  defended,  explained  by  sucli  rare 
geniuses,  such  solid  minds,  especially  when  we  be- 
come aware  that  for  extent  of  knowledge,  for 
depth  and  penetration,  for  principles  of  sound  phi- 
losophy and  for  their  application  and  develop- 
ment, for  accuracy  of  conclusions,  for  dignity  of 
language,  for  beauty  of  morality  and  sentiments, 
there  is  nothing,  for  example,  that  can  be  com- 
pared to  St.  Augustine,  save  the  writings  of  Plato 
and  Cicero  ! " 

To  know  religion,  to  lovo  it,  to  make  it  loved, 
and  in  order  to  constantly  increase  in  the  know- 
ledge and  love  of  it,  to  employ  his  leisure  in  see- 
ing it  Relieved,  defended,  cx2)lained  lij  siicli  rare 
geniuses,  was  the  passion  that  guiied  Clerc  in  the 
choice  of  his  readings,  and  was  the  reason  why  he 
did  not  dread  that  austerity,  that  scholastic  dry- 
ness with  which  certain  works  of  the  holy  Fathers 
are  impressed,  and  which   always  repel  frivolous 


Epistolary  Controversy* 


i8i 


minds  from  them.  IIo  was  abundantly  rewarded, 
not  that  ho  could  acquire  by  himself  exact  and 
complete  theological  knowledge  on  all  points  ;  he 
did  not  cherish  that  ilhision,  and  when  he  dis- 
coursed upon  matters  of  faith  he  was  very  care- 
ful to  accompany  his  ideas  with  a  reserve,  and  to 
invoke  as  a  last  re.?ort  the  intervention  of  a  more 
competent  judge.  When  he  believcu  the  thing 
pvossible,  lie  referred  to  the  holy  Fathers  themselves  ; 
it  was  in  this  way  that  he  made  his  father  read 
St.  Augustine's  *'  Conicssions,"  and  ho  wrote  to 
his  brother  Jules  :  *'  The  attentive  reading  of  the 
*  Confessions '  of  St.  Augustine  will  be  for  a  sound 
and  strong  mind  a  sort  of  tableau  of  the  struggles, 
the  progress,  and  the  victory  of  eternal  truth  over 
the  illusions  of  false  wisdom  in  a  great  heart  and 
a  great  mind."  He  speaks  from  experience,  eter- 
nal truth  having  thus  triumphed  in  his  heart  and 
mind  for  ever.  It  is  a  fact  that,  after  having  care- 
fully read  all  his  letters  and  his  most  private  notes, 
those  he  wrote  for  himself  alone,  I  have  not  been 
able  to  find,  from  the  date  of  his  conversion,  any 
indication  of  a  faith  shaken,  wavering,  or  even 
only  disquieted  by  returns  of  doubt,  or  of  involun- 
tary assaults  of  incredulity.  Far  from  Ihat,  he 
goes  on,  to  use  the  language  of  the  Psalmist, //'owi 
liglit  to  light ;  the  supernatural  and  invisible,  of 
whicli  he  possessed  by  faith  the  intimate  consci- 
ousness, are  become  the  light  and  the  food  of  his 
soul.  Most  certainly  this  is  a  great  grace ;  it  is 
the  reward  of  the  efforts  he  made  to  know  the 
truth  as  thoroughly  as  it  could  be  known  by  a 


•1 
0'^ 


-**' 

^•H* 


f 


jf 


I 


•>» 


182 


A /ex is  Clcrc. 


mind  as  richly  endowed  with  natural  gifts  as  his 
yras. 

God  knows  that  wo  have  no  intention  of  ad- 
vising men  of  liis  profession  to  devote  tlicmsclvcs 
as  he  did  to  the  study  of  theology  and  to  the  read- 
ing of  the  Fathers  of  the  Church.  In  the  fir&t 
idacc,  they  would  do  nothing  of  the  kind  ;  and,  jn 
the  second  place,  of  those  who  might  attempt  it, 
the  greater  number  would  have  neither  the  con- 
stancy, nor  especially  the  leisure  necessary,  to  per- 
severe in  such  a  course.  But  no  one  should  think 
to  exempt  himself  from  a  care  about  the  great 
questions  of  the  future — that  is,  of  eternity.  Re- 
Uect,  then :  "v^e  are  embarked  on  this  ocean  of  time, 
and  the  ship  sails,  always  sails,  without  its  being 
possible  for  us  to  suspend  or  retard  its  progress  for 
a  moment.  Where  will  we  be  at  th3  end  of  the 
voyage — on  what  shore  shall  wo  land  ?  Before  us, 
yonder  whither  we  are  hastening,  is  there  really 
only  the  unknown  ?  Yes,  answers  the  inGdel,  and 
he  falls  asleep  upon  that  response  which  contains  so 
little  to  inspire  hope  or  courage.  But  the  believer 
says  that  that  shore  there  beyond,  though  hidden 
from  our  gaze,  is  known  to  us  by  faith,  and  he 
affirms  that  God  sent  his  own  Son  on  earth  to  re- 
veal the  mysteries  of  the  future  life,  and  to  guide 
ns  surely  towards  the  port  of  salvation.  It  is  well 
worth  the  trouble  to  reflect  and  examine  whether 
those  who  have  this  faith  and  hope  arc  not  in  the 
right.  Certainly  there  is  danger  of  deceiving  our- 
selves ;  a'  some  given  moment  the  error,  which  is 
of  consequence,  may  be  for  ever  irreparable. 


Epktolary  Controversy.  ,  3 

Clerc  choso  the  n-ood  mrf  o».,i  1 
of  ■>      T.I-      ^  ^  I^^^^'^^^^^iG  never  repented 


.ttt' 


.1'  t 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


I.I 


1.25 


1^  y^ 

■  50     ^^"        liJ 


122 
mm 


I 


1.4 


1.8 


V] 


/^ 


A 


>^ 


'-'W 


o 


7 


^ 

^  .^^ 


p     i 


%■ 


CHAPTER  VI. 


PRELUDES  OP  VOCATION— PREPARATIONS  FOR  ANOTHER 

VOYAGE. 

January  1,  1850,  Clerc  was  promoted  to  the 
'  rank  of  lieutenant.  He  had  jnst  entered  hia 
thirty-first  year.  Henceforth,  thanks  to  his  tea 
years'  experience  of  the  sea,  and  thanks  also  to  the 
mathematical  knowledge  he  had  found  a  use  for 
in  the  workshops  of  Indret  and  on  board  the 
Pelican,  the  career  which  lay  before  him  was  pleas- 
ant, easy,  and  sure,  and  he  lacked  nothing,  hu- 
manly speaking,  to  make  him  satisfied  with  his 
lot. 

But  his  heart  had  aspirations  for  something 
more,  which  ho  thought  he  ought  to  listen  to.  Did 
God  require  him  to  leave  the  navy  to  attach  him- 
self more  closely  to  his  service  ?  This  did  not  yet 
appear  quite  plain,  but  he  was  too  frank  to  dis- 
semble the  thoughts  that  disturbed  him,  too  faith- 
ful to  grj-ce  not  to  be  ready  for  everything. 

Being  in  Paris  in  the  spring  of  1850,  he  spent 
the  week  after  Good  Shepherd  Sunday  (second 
week  after  Easter)  in  retreat,  under  the  direction 
of  Fathfci  de  llavignan.  After  a  mature  examina- 
tion he  asked  to  be  received  into  the  Society  of 
Jesus,  which  he  had  long  been  acquainted  with, 

184 


Prelude's  of  Vocation. 


185 


thing 

Dia 
liiin- 
>t  yet 

dls- 
faith- 

spent 
iccond 
cction 
,mina- 
^ety  of 
with, 


and  towards  which  he  felt  drawn.  But  Father  de 
Ravignan  was  not  a  man  to  be  hasty  in  decisions  of 
this  kind.  When  there  had  been  question  of  his 
own  vocation,  which  cut  short  a  brilliant  career 
hardly  commenced,  being  vigorously  opposed  by 
his  family,  he  had  temporized,  while  his  resolution 
was  not  shaken  for  a  moment.  He  thouglit  Clerc 
might  do  the  same  ;  and,  in  spite  of  the  impatient 
ardor  of  his  desires,  Clerc  had  to  wait.* 

We  have  some  notes  in  his  handwriting  bearing 
the  date  of  this  retreat.  First  come  some  reflec- 
tions upon  the  Immaculate  Conception,  a  Catholic 
belief  of  which  wo  still  awaited  the  solemn  deflni- 
lion  that  four  years  later  was  to  rejoice  the  hearts 
of  all  Mary's  faithful  servants  and  children.  Then 
there  are  some  considerations  of  a  dogmatic  charac- 
ter on  the  eternal  fate  of  the  damned,  and  on  the 
infinite  expiation  of  Jesus  Christ,  tlia  common  pa- 
trimony  of  all  mankind. 

Further  on,  exactly  in  the  middle  of  a  page  de- 
voted to  several  subjects,  is  this  invocation  which 
casts  a  light  upon  tiie  rest :  "  St.  Margaret  of  Gor- 
ton a,  pray  for  me  !" 

Doubtless  Clerc  during  i  is  retreat  read  the  life 
of  that  saint,  who  till  the  age  of  twenty-five  was  a 

*  Before  leaving  the  residence  of  the  Ruo  de  Sfevres,  whero 
he  had  made  his  retreat,  he  whs  presented  to  the  community, 
and  took  leave  of  tliem  in  terms  which  corresponded  well  with 
the  desire  he  had  to  remain  if  he  had  been  allowed.  The  father 
minister  wiote  in  his  journal  cr  Diarium:  "April  24 — Our 
young  officer,  Mr.  Clerc,  finishes  his  retreat  and  takes  leave  of 
us  after  having  greatly  edified  us.  Ho  warmly  expressed  his 
gratitude  for  the  edification  he  had  himself  receive*!  and  the 
good  he  believed  ho  had  gained  from  his  retreat."  Tliis  is  the 
only  example  the  Diarium  Riv«s  us  of  so  special  a  mention,  and 
is  a  contrast  with  its  usual  laconism. 


«j' 


1 86 


Alexis  Clerc, 


great  sinner;  and,  in  the  sincerity  of  his  repen- 
tance, recognizing  that  lie  had  commenced  lika 
her,  he  Wishes  to  finish  also  like  her,  and  claims 
her  for  his  patroness. 

The  concluding  lines  revolve  upon  these  words — 
love  and  siifferiwj.  lie  has  understood  that  with- 
out sorrow  he  cannot  live  in  the  love  of  God — sine 
dolore  non  vivitur  in  amove — and  that  noble  love 
has  with  him  all  the  qualities  which  the  pious  au- 
thor of  the  'Imitation"  epeaks  of  in  sncli  elo- 
quent terms :  "Love  feels  no  burdens,  values  no 
labors,  complains  not  of  impossibility,  because  it 
conceives  that  it  may  and  can  do  all  things 
("Imit.,"  1.  iii.,  c.  v.,  v.  4,  Dq  M'lrahili  effeckt 
Divini  Amoris,  Cballonsr's  Truns.) 

On  returning  to  Brest,  where  his  duties  again 
keep  him,  lie  resumes  with  more  fervor  than  over 
his  life  of  austerity  and  good  works.  He  acts 
towards  the  world  as  a  man  who  expects  nothing 
from  it,  and  who  has  burned  his  ships  like  Cortes. 
The  Feast  of  the  Blessed  Sacrament  is  come.  Clerc 
deems  that  his  place  is  in  the  procession  following 
the  footsteps  of  his  God,  and  ho  escorts  the  can- 
opy, candle  in  hand  and  wearing  his  uniform. 
This  does  not  please  everybody,  and  the  rumor  of 
it  reaches  as  far  as  Paris.  We  may  imagine  the 
stupefaction  of  Mr.  Clerc,  with  his  idea  that  re- 
ligion should  be  confined  to  the  precincts  of  the 
templo  and  rigorously  forbidden  all  exterior  mani- 
festation. Others  besides  him,  among  them  some 
fervent  Christians,  held  the  same  opinion,  and  it 
took  a  good  many  hard  lessons  before  they  would 


iii .' 


'  i 


over 
acts 
tiling 
ortes. 
Clerc 
)wing 
1  cau- 
orm. 
or  of 
le  the 
t  re- 
t  the 
ani- 
Bome 
nd  it 
ould 


Preludes  of  Vocation. 


187 


at  last  allow  to  Catholic  worship  a  little  place  in 
the  open  air.  Those  who  are  desirous  that  it 
should  have  a  large  place  are  very  bold. 

Naturally  Alexis  is  charged  with  exaggeration. 
He  defends  himself  but  feebly,  believing  that  he 
has  his  faults,  that  he  is  not  yet  entirely  rid  of  the 
old  man,  and  that  he  may  spoil  by  mixing  himself 
with  it  the  good  for  which  he  is  ^.^  earnest.  But 
he  will  not  admit  that  ho  is  wrong  on  the  strength 
of  reproaches  aimed  at  once  against  the  most  au- 
thorized practices  of  the  Church,  and  the  examples 
of  the  saints  which  he  never  loses  sight  of.  To 
be  somewhat  of  a  fool  in  the  eyes  of  the  world 
does  not  displease  him,  for  he  knows  that  man 
saves  his  soul  and  gains  the  heart  of  God  by  gene- 
rously embracing  iha  folly  of  the  cross. 

We  shall  discover  these  sentiments  in  a  letter  ad- 
dressed to  his  father  from  Brest : 

"  As  to  me,  dear  father,  1  can  only  approve  what 
you  say.  I  have  the  fault  of  always  wanting  to  go 
ahead  of  others  in  whatever  I  undertake,  and  I 
agree  with  you  that  I  ought  to  try  to  correct  it. 
Whether  the  thing  itself  be  good  or  bad,  it  is  al- 
ways bad  to  want  to  bo  first.  But  you  know  well 
that  place  has  nothing  to  do  with  it.  Vv^hether  I 
were  in  Paris,  Brest,  or  China,  I  would  always 
have  this  detestable  spirit  of  vanity.  I  must  fight 
it  wherever  I  am,  on  shore  or  at  sea.  I  can  do  so 
better  on  shore,  for  I  have  all  the  spiritual 
helps  that  I  would  lack  at  sea.  Unfortunately,  it 
is  not  a  small  matter  to  conquer  one's  self,  especi- 
ally in  what  concerns  pride. 


«n" 


.-'*♦•' ii 


■1' 


i88 


Alexis  Clerc. 


"It  is  very  possible  that  this  detestable  senti- 
ment may  have  inspired  a  large  part  of  my  actions, 
which,  consequently,  "were  good  only  in  appear- 
ance ;  but  if  it  is  necessary  to  purify  the  intention, 
it  is  likewise  necessary  to  persevere  in  what  will  be 
very  good  when  the  intention  is  purified. 

"  I  must  also  tell  you  that,  if  I  have  no  servile 
and  necessary  occupations,  I  have,  nevertheless, 
enough  to  do,  and  I  am  not  idle.  People  are  ready 
to  believe  that  devotees  create  for  themselves  a 
sort  oi farnientef  of  lazy  idleness,  where,  like  the 
rat,  they  hide  away  from  all  troublesome  busin^ess, 
and  then,  in  that  agreeable  detachment  from  all 
the  things  of  the  world,  some — the  monks,  who 
eat  well,  sleep  well,  and  hire  singers  to  do  their 
chanting  for  them — grow  fat  visibly.  Others, 
having  their  minds  always  fixed  upon  one  same 
idea,  or,  rather,  upon  the  search  for  a  being  who 
does  not  exist,  are  sunk  like  the  fakirs  in  the  sha- 
dows of  an  abstraction  which  destroys  all  reality. 
They  do  me  the  honor  to  class  me  among  the  se- 
cond sort — the  poor  fools  who  take  the  thing  seri- 
ously. Bntall  this  is  not  the  truth.  There  are 
some  ignoble  beings  who  throw  holy  things  to  the 
dogs  ;  there  are  some  religious  maniacs  ;  there  are 
some  vague  and  stubborn  minds  that  lose  them- 
selves in  abstractions.  If  they  have  a  certain 
amount  of  natural  energy  and  enough  pride,  they 
are  the  material  of  which  hercsiarchs  are  made. 
And,  finally,  there  are  some  visionaries  who  dream 
about  nothing,  and  believe  they  almost  see  the  sub- 
stance of  the  Trinity.     With  God's  grace  and  by 


Freludcs  of  Vocation. 


189 


vile 
ess, 
ady 
3S  a 

tlie 

less, 

I  all 

who 

their 

lers, 

amo 

who 

sha- 

lity. 

e  se- 
seri- 
arc 
the 
are 
ibem- 
rtain 
they 
adc. 
ream 
suh- 
d  by 


submission  to  my  guides,  I  hope  to  escape  these 
dangers  for  the  future,  even  as  I  think  I  have 
escaped  them  up  to  the  present. 

"  Certainly,  meditation  is  recommended,  but 
nothing  is  less  vague ;  we  must  always  draw  some 
practical  conclusion  from  it,  and  we  must  bo  much 
more  careful  to  seek  for  an  affection,  a  movement 
of  the  heart  towards  God,  than  for  the  sublimest 
mental  conceptions.  What  can  be  wiser,  more  pru- 
dent, further  removed  from  the  culpable  state  of 
the  visionary,  the  heresiarch,  or  the  maniac  ?  Our 
religion  is  positive  ;  it  is  not  an  abstraction.  Our 
God  is  not  vague  and  undetermined  ;  he  is  inac- 
cessible and  infinite  in  his  essence.  It  is  not  well 
to  try  to  scrutinize  the  mystery  with  which  he  hides 
himself  from  our  eyes,  but  in  Jesus  Christ  he  is  ac- 
cessible and  within  our  reach,  especially  within 
reach  of  our  hearts;  and  all  our  religion  consists  in 
imitating  Jesus  Clirist  and  in  loving  him. 

"  As  to  the  cxcesaively  exaggerated  asceticism,  I 
am  puzzled  to  know  what  I  can  have  done  to  in- 
spire this  opinion.  It  can  only  have  been  derived 
from  some  conversations.  We  must  not  attach  too 
much  importance  to  these.  As  you  know,  while  not 
talking  absolutely  without  reflection,  I  do  not  al- 
ways weigh  my  words  sufficiently  to  be  sure  that 
with  a  little  more  reflection  I  will  not  disavow  * 
them.  I  do  not  just  now  remember  what  I  have 
said  to  provoke  this  judgment  of  me. 

"Lee  the  world  blame  my  conduct ;  it  is  very 
natural  that  it  should,  and  I  am  not  in  the  least  in 
arrears  to  it;   for,  if  it  blames  me  for  seeking 


3 


.■^m'^ 


nJ" 


i 


.-?:' 


iiiii"' 


\m. 


i|iL 


190 


Alexis  Clerc. 


I!  J., 


neither  my  interest  uor  my  pleasure,  I  blame  it 
precisely  because  it  does  seek  both  the  one  and  the 
other.  In  this  matter  there  is  no  way  of  compro- 
mising ;  one  sajs  white  and  the  other  black;  there 
is  only  to  choose,  and  my  choice  is  made;  but 
surely  this  is  not  what  you  blame,  you  who  are  so 
little  of  the  world.  Let  the  exaggeration  pass, 
then  ;  I  do  not  say  *  Yes '  or  *  No  *  to  it,  for  I  am  in 
ignorance  of  what  you  mean  by  it,  and  I  would 
like  to  know  where  to  lay  hold  of  this  new  enemy. 
It  is  very  vague  to  say  that  one  is  exaggerated,  but 
if  you  will  plainly  designate  what  appears  so  to 
you,  I  promise  to  pay  serious  attention  to  it.  I 
think  that  my  conduct  during  my  journey,  and 
my  journey  itself,  proves  that  I  am  mistrustful  of 
my  own  ideas,  even  when  they  are  directed  towards 
the  purest  good.  Excess  is  not  a  good ;  on  the 
contrary,  it  is  an  evil.  I  wish  to  avoid  it  like  any 
other  evil.  Excess  in  this  matter  springs  from  a 
presumption  which  embraces  more  than  its  arm- 
ful, as  Montaigne  says.  It  can  hold  nothing  with 
a  firm  grasp,  and  it  speedily  casts  the  soul  into  a 
disgust  and  discouragement  that  render  it  incapa- 
ble of  the  easiest  things.  But  if  we  must  have  no 
l^resumption  we  must  also  have  no  cowardice,  and 
we  must,  if  we  would  avoid  the  greatest  dangers, 
undertake,  with  our  confidence  firmly  fixed  in  God, 
all  that  is  possible  tons.  Exaggeration  has  in  it 
something  personal,  human,  which  it  is  easy,  at 
least  for  others,  to  perceive.  Pure  zeal  has  some- 
thing holy  which  reveals  its  divine  origin.  But  let 
us  stop  here." 


Preludes  of  Vocation, 


191 


the 
any 
om  a 
arm- 
witli 
nto  a 
capa- 
vc  no 
I,  and 
bgers, 
God, 
in  it 
jy,  at 
lomc- 
lut  let 


'  Meanwliilc  a  new  perspective  begins  to  appear 
in  Ihe  distance.  Clcrc,  on  board  the  Dugucseliii 
■which  is  being  unrigged,  writes  to  liis  father  during 
the  first  days  of  August:  "I  am  expecting  a  more 
important  expedition,  which  will  perhaps  take  mo 
very  far  away  and  keep  me  a  long  time  ;  but  as  no 
orders  have  been  given  yet,  I  will  defer  speaking  of 
it  more  explicitly  until  I  have  something  positive 
to  tell  you." 

At  the  same  time — a  singular  thing — ideas  of 
vocation  keep  coming  into  his  mind,  and  assume 
more  and  more  consistency.  This  is  what  afflicts 
Mr.  Clerc,  who  sees  his  Alexis,  on  the  one  hand 
repelling  all  jilans  of  establishment,  and  on  the 
other  pursuing  his  career  with  the  resolution,  al- 
ready perhaps  irrevocable,  of  abandoning  it  at  the 
very  time  it  smiles  upon  him  more  brightly  than 
ever — a  cruel  thing  for  a  father  who  has  reposed  his 
dearest  hopes  upon  the  head  of  a  tenderly-loved 
son,  and  who  sees  the  edifico  of  his  happiness  thus 
crumbling  before  him. 

Bat  there  has  been  nothing  done  as  yet,  and  he 
hopes  to  ward  off  the  blow.  lie  begins,  therefore, 
by  attacking  his  son  about  his  present  resolutions, 
and  about  that  kind  of  invisible  wall  he  has  put 
between  himself  and  the  world,  evidently  in  the 
hope  of  one  day  reaching  a  positive  separation. 

Alexis,  pressed  so  closely,  defends  himself  warm- 
ly, and  makes  it  clear  that  ho  will  not  yield  an 
inch  of  ground.  •  • 

'*  It  was  with  pain,"  ho  wrote  to  his  father, 
'*  that  I  learned  from  your  letter  of  the  3d  that 


'1 


V'2 


■'i  '  'J 


,4-^^' 
^■i^ 


1." 


192 


Alexis  Citrc, 


what  appeared  to  you  an  exaggeration  of  tlevotioii 
was  what  seemed  to  mc  pcrhiaps  tepidity,  and  this 
on  account  of  tlio  different  ways  in  which  we  looL; 
at  things. 

"  Really  I  cannot  change  my  conduct  in  those 
points  that  are  conformable  with  my  faith.  I 
would  much  have  preferred  that  you  had  found 
something  else  to  scold  me  for  ;  I  could  then  have 
proved  how  anxious  I  am  to  i^lease  you.  It  was, 
perhaps,  the  foresight  that  it  would  be  impossible 
for  me  to  make  a  concession  in  that  matter  whicli 
led  you  to  undertake  to  show  me  that,  even  look- 
ing at  things  hypothetically  from  my  point  of  view, 
you  could  see  them  differently.  You  refer  to  your 
observations  on  the  subject  of  the  attempt  I  made 
in  Paris  to  leave  the  world.  I  have  reread  them 
with  great  attention,  as  well  as  those  in  the  present 
letter.  They  may  be  reduced  to  two  heads:  the 
first  that  celibacy  is  a  state  contrary  to  nature,  and 
the  second  that  I  have  a  career  already  secured 
which  I  abandon.  As  I  do  not  remember  to  have 
sent  you  any  reply,  you  will  pardon  me  for  this 
one.  If  it  has  not  the  merit  of  persuasion  it  will 
perhaps  have  for  you  that  of  novelty. 

'*  Marriage  is  for  the  species  what  food  is  for  the 
individual — it  is  its  means  of  preservation.  Hence 
it  is  for  the  species  a  natural  law,  and  it  is,  as  your 
note  expresses  it,  the  commandment  which  God 
gave  in  saying  to  our  first  parents,  'Increase  and 
multiply.'  Thus,  I  grant,  you  have  quite  satisfac- 
torily established  that  marriage  is  a  natural  duty 
for  the  species,  and  that  consequeutly  it  is  right. 


Preludes  of  Voeation. 


193 


)tioii 
lliis 

tliose 

1.     I 

[ound 

I  have 

t  was, 

)ssiblc 

wliicli 
look- 

l  view, 

0  your 

[  made 

.  tliem 

present 

Ls:  the 
e,  and 
ecu  red 
0  bave 
r  this 
it  will 

If  or  tlie 

Hence 

IS  your 

Ih  God 

and 

itisfac- 

il  duty 

right. 


But  what  regards  the  species  docs  not  impose  an 
obligation  on  all  the  individuals.  Just  as  in  an 
army,  where  there  must  bo  drummers  and  color- 
bearer?,  it  is  not  necessary  that  all  should  be 
drummers  or  color-bearers,  so  with  regard  to  the 
maintenance  and  preservation  of  the  species,  etc." 

The  reader  sees  the  conscqacnco  drawn  :  it  is  not 
necessary  that  all  should  be  fathers  of  family. 
Bat  allow  us  to  hereupon  open  a  parenthesis. 

"\Vc  are  aware  of  the  intii^ate  acquaintance 
Alexis  kept  up  with  St.  Thomas,  and  his  habit  of 
liaving  recourse  to  the  great  doctor  for  answers  to 
the  objections  that  came  to  him  from  all  sides. 
Ilerc  we  catch  him  i;i  the  act,  and  at  the  moment 
he  writes  these  lines,  original  enough,  and  even 
impressed  with  a  certain  gaiety,  he  has  his  St. 
Thomas  open  before  him,  either  the  "  Theological 
Summa"  (2a.  See.,  q.  152,  a.  2,  ad  primum)  or  the 
*'  Summa ''  against  the  Gentiles  (1.  iii,,  c.  cxxxvi.) ; 
for  it  is  there  we  find  the  distinction  of  the  things 
necessary  to  the  preservation  of  the  individual  and 
of  the  things  necessary  to  the  preservation  of  the 
species,  a  distinction  which  gives  rise  to  a  reason- 
ing identical  with  that  of  Alexis  on  the  subject  of 
marriage,  although  St.  Thomas  does  not  speak  of 
color-bearers  and  drummers. 

This  argumentation  is,  moreover,  irrefutable  ; 
and  it  is  carious  that,  several  years  later,  Mr.  Jules 
Simon  likewise  employed  it  in  a  work  that  takes 
only  into  consideration  natural  morality.  He  does 
not  quote  St.  Thomas,  but  evidently  he  has  read 
him,  and  he  writes  in  these  very  words :  "  Not- 


0 


ii."*^' 


194 


Aifxis  Clcrc, 


"wilhstautlin^' all  tliat  may  bo  said  about  the  incli- 
nation of  nature,  naturo  not  needing  that  all  indi- 
viduals sliould  reproduce  themselves,  can  permit 
contincnco  to  bo  not  only  possible  but  easy." 
AVhcnco  ho  concludes  that  it  is  neither  just  nor 
2)hiI(),soj>Itic((I  to  condemn  the  state  of  ccJibacy 
("  Lc  Devoir,"  first  edition,  p.  1^^). 

Mr.  Clcrc,  who  called  himself  a  philoST)phcr,  bad 
then  to  deal  with  a  strong  opponent ;  his  son  un- 
dertook to  pursue  him  into  his  own  territory  and 
to  overcome  him  with  his  own  arms. 

"  There  you  have  the  philosophical  reason," 
adJs  Alexis,  **'but  the  practice  and  judgment  of 
the  Church  arc  much  more  conclusive,  and  you 
cannot  doubt  that  she  liighly  esteems  celibacy.  It 
is  not  of  precept,  it  is  true,  otherwise  marriage 
would  bo  forbidden,  and,  on  the  contrary,  she  de- 
clares that  marriage  is  a  holy  state  ;  but  it  is  of 
counsel,  and  better  than  marriage.  Assuredly  you 
know  that  such  always  has  been  and  always  will 
be  the  sentiment  of  the  Church  regarding  this 
matter.  However,  your  knowledge  of  the  fact  will 
be  confirmed  by  reading  the  seventh  chapter  of  the 
First  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians. 

"  It  is  not  for  the  sake  of  having  a  controversy 
that  I  tell  you  these  things,  but  I  do  not  want  you 
to  be  mistaken  about  my  sentiments.  We  are 
both  agreed  that  I  must  waif.  That  decision 
seemed  wise  to  you  and  it  must  be  followed. 

"  How  I  would  like  to  tell  you  of  the  magnifi- 
cent hopes  it  allows  me  a  glimpse  of.  But  1  would 
wound  your  feelings,  and,  far  from  filling  your 


Frchuics  of  Vocation. 


^95 


>> 


you 

13  will 
this 
tt  AviU 
)f  the 

)versy 
it  you 
jc  are 
Icision 

ignifi- 

•ould 

your 


heart  v^'ith  joy,  would  cause  you  only  trouble  and 
sorrow.  Nevertheless  you  oiiglit,  after  the  pru- 
dence I  flatter  myself  I  liiivo  shown,  to  believe  tiiat 
I  will  continue  to  be  guided  by  it.  It  is  probable 
that  I  shall  follow  the  natural  course  of  events, 
that  I  shall  leave  to  God  to  put  me,  so  to  speak, 
with  his  own  hand  where  ho  wants  mo  to  be,  if 
that  is  not  where  I  am.  1  have  no  purpose  of 
taking  upon  myself  to  quit  my  place  by  an  act  of 
my  own  will. 

"This  leads  mc  to  reply  to  your  second  observa- 
tion :  that  I  abandon  my  career.  If  I  abandon  it,  it 
is  because  I  am  not  attaclied  to  it.  Once  this 
abandonment  is  voluntary  and  Fpontaneous  it  can 
be  no  misfortune.  I  remain  a  sailor  with  the  dis- 
position of  not  being  one  to-morrow  if  God  so 
pleases.  I  assure  you  that  giving  up  the  profession 
for  that  reason  appears  no  sacrifice  to  me."' 

But  Mr.  Clerc  does  i.jt  deem  himself  conquered, 
and  he  returns  to  the  charge  as  vigorously  as  ever, 
it  would  seem,  which  perseverance  procures  him  an 
entire  letter  on  the  celibacy  of  the  priesthood. 
Ilowever,  he  refrains  for  the  moment  from  directly 
attacking  his  son's  resolution,  for  the  hitter  adds, 
after  having  valiantly  defended  his  thesis:  **Wo 
have  kept  outside  of  the  personal  question,  and  wo 
are  quite  agreed  as  to  what  I  have  to  do  now — 
namely,  remain  a  bachelor.  You  yourself  consider 
this  very  wise.  By  my  return  from  this  voyage 
water  enough  will  have  flowed  under  the  bridge, 
and  I  do  not  look  so  far  into  the  future.  ^  Sufficient 
for  the  day  is  the  evil  thereof.' "  .    *    •,  ,;>  , 


c:\ 


4«8C 


MP     *y 


*',  'J 


«•' 


.  1 
i3 


it*'-' 


.,.^*' 

.<«• 

:? 


■:• 


196 


Alexis  Clcrc. 


^t  is,  therefore,  only  a  truce,  but  one  to  wliicli 
the  long  voyage  now  talked  of  promises  consider- 
able duration.  Each  of  tlie  combatants  counts 
npon  resuming  hostilities  at  some  opportune  time, 
and  gaining  more  euccoss  than  in  the  past. 

But  what  about  this  voyage,  vaguely  announced, 
and  which  rather  pleases  our  Alexis,  alihougli  he 
considers  his  naval  career  as  nearly  fiuislicd,  and 
although  even  the  most  legitimate  ambition  seems 
no  longer  to  have  any  hold  upon  him  ?  Evidently 
this  project  must  not  only  be  agreeable  to  his 
tastes,  but  of  a  nature  to  satisfy  the  secret  aspira- 
tions of  his  heart  and  to  put  no  obstacle  in  the 
way  of  his  vocation.  And  truly  God  had  arranged 
everything  according  to  his  wishes  in  a  manner 
to  give  him  entire  security  on  that  essential  point, 
without  his  having  had  to  think  of  and  imagine 
combinations  of  circumstances  which  probably 
would  never  have  presented  the  same  advantages. 

A  still  recent  friendship,  but  one  on  which  ho 
could  perfectly  rely — i  fiiendship  founded  on  con- 
formity of  views,  si.'ntimGuts,  and  religious  princi- 
ples, consecrated  twenty  years  later  hy  the  same 
vows  pronounced  at  the  foot  of  the  same  altars — 
this  was  what  providentially  intervened  and  fur- 
nished him  the  means  of  i)ursuing  his  generous  de- 
sign with  an  always  uniform  ardor  along  a  road 
apparently  quite  off  the  route,  and  which  even 
seemed  to  be  made  on  purpose  to  take  him  faraway 
from  his  goal. 

It  was  in  Brest  in  18-48  that  Clerc  met  Comman- 
der Robinet  dc  IMas,  captain  of  a  frigate,  his  elder 


Preludes  of  Vocation. 


197 


in  years  and  in  the  service  and  his  superior  in  rank, 
but  his  equal  by  charity  which  drew  them  10- 
getlier.  They  both  belonged  to  a  cluh  (such 
was  the  language  of  the  day)  organized  for  the 
(flicers  of  the  different  naval  corps  in  order  to 
withdraw  them  from  cafe  life.  Clerc,  then  an 
ensign,  was  a  member  of  the  bureau  and  rendered 
as  secretary  important  services,  as  is  attested  by 
his  friend,  wlio  recommends  ns  to  be  silent  about 
the  part  he  himself  took  in  that  good  work.  The 
commander  having  been  called  to  Paris,  in  the 
course  of  the  same  year,  to  sit  in  the  Court  of  Ad- 
miralty, Alexis  hastened  to  put  him  in  communi- 
cation with  his  father  and  his  brother  Jules,  lie 
wrote  to  his  father  with  his  expansive  cordiality: 
"You  ought  to  have  seen  Sir.  dc  Plas,  captain  of 
frigate.  You  would  have  been  pleased  with  him, 
for  he  is  the  finest  specimen  we  could  send  to 
Paris.  It  would  not  be  prudent  to  buy  the  whole 
lot  from  this  sample.  I  am  very  lonely  here  since 
ho  is  gone,  and  to  console  myself  for  having  lost 
him  I  have  to  keep  thinking  every  moment  of  the 
good  he  can  do  in  his  new  and  important  posi- 
tion." 

The  position  of  the  commander  became  still 
more  important,  and  his  influence  still  mc:"e  ex- 
tended, when  the  brave  Admiral  liomain  Desfosses 
appointed  him  chief  of  the  council  of  the  Minis- 
ter of  the  Navy.  It  was  the  era  of  generous 
projects,  and  of  a  policy  more  Christian  than  tiio 
one  we  had  lately  seen  at  work,  and  whoso  weak- 
ness we  had  experienced  under  the  monarchy  of 


C^ 


: 


-i«f1 

Zm 

.■m 

;i''^ 

S*'*' 

;j 

H 

.„  1'- 

'I 

H 

1  ^  ■' 

ft 

f 

:,-!.' f 

i 

' 

,   ■i*'* 

1: ' 

i^ 

.,1«^ 

_,*« 

3 


i' 


1 
1 

iiir '' 

'  ■  ■  i  '-  * 

.1 


198 


Alexis  Clerc. 


1830.  Let  that  triumphant  return  of  Pius  IX.  to 
Rome  be  remembered  ;  it  was  a  triumph  prepared 
by  the  sword  of  France,  and  applauded  in  both 
hemispheres  not  only  by  Catholics  but  by  all  true 
friends  of  justice  and  right.  How  strong  we  felt 
then  !  A  short  time  had  sufficed,  on  almost  the 
day  after  a  mad  revolution,  to  give  us  back  our  as- 
cendency and  restore  us  to  our  rank  among  the 
European  powers.  Neither  our  treasure  nor  our 
armament  was  increased  by  the  fall  of  Louis 
Philippe  ;  but  we  marched  the  first  in. the  path  of 
honor,  and  never  was  our  flag  more  respected  tlian 
on  the  day  when  it  bowed  beneath  the  benediction 
of  the  Pontiff-King. 

It  is  rot  astonishing  to  see  at  such  a  period  issu- 
ing from  the  council  of  the  Minister  of  tlie  Navy 
the  i^lan  of  an  expedition  having  for  its  object  the 
visit  of  the  Catholic  Missions,  to  which  our  brave 
sailors,  according  to  a  truly  national  tradition, 
owe  a  protection  which  had  too  often  failed  under 
the  last  reign.  Mr.  de  Plas,  selected  for  this  most 
honorable  service,  wished  to  have  Alexis  with 
him.  We  can  guess  how  the  latter  welcomed  the 
overture  made  him  to  that  effect.  While  waiting  to 
enroll  himself  in  the  holy  militia,  nothing  could 
please  him  better  than  to  be,  under  no  matter  what 
title,  the  auxiliary  of  the  priest,  and  especially  of 
the  missionary.  The  news  being  communicated 
to  Mr.  Clerc  by  Eather  do  Rivignan,  Alexis  was 
free  to  enter  into  explanations  with  his  father,  and 
licro  is  what  he  wrote  him  in  a  letter  dated  Scp- 
tembar  5,  1850  : 


l'V% 


Icould 

what 

Illy  of 

[cated 

Is  was 

,  and 

Scp- 


Preludcs  of  Vocation. 


199 


"I  como  now  to  the  project  of  the  voj-ago.  Do 
Plas,  in  fact,  proposed  this  expedition  to  me,  and, 
as  you  may  well  believe,  I  accepted  with  all  my 
heart.  Indeed,  nothing  could  please  me  better.  If 
I  am  to  remain  a  sailor,  (here  is  nothing  I  could 
like  more  than  serving  the  Church  as  directly  a3 
possible. 

"  Since  you  have  learned  the  same  thing  through 
Father  do  R.ivignan,  it  must  be  that  it  is  consi- 
dered as  fully  decided  upon.  As  for  me,  I  have 
had  no  news  about  it  for  a  long  time.  Do  Plas 
left  for  Rome  on  the  8th  of  August,  and  I  have 
received  nothing  from  him  since.  He  undertook 
this  journey  to  obtain  instructions  and  orders  from 
the  Holy  Father;  but  the  matter  is  not  yet  talked 
about,  and  nobody  knows  of  it  excepting  those  to 
whom  I  have  made  overtures  to  secure  their  con- 
currence. The  vessel  even  has  not  yet  been  chos- 
en. However,  I  have  a  strong  faith  that  the  ex- 
pedition will  become  a  fact.  It'  I  do  not  deserve 
tlie  honor  of  forming  a  part  of  it,  notwithstanding 
the  great  satisfaction  it  would  afford  me,  I  think  I 
am  disposed  to  be  resigned.  As  you  tell  me,  it  u 
best  not  to  trust  to  the  most  flattering  hopes,  and 
this  is  easy  to  one  who  is  thoroughly  convinced  that 
Providence  orders  all  events  for  the  greater  good 
of  his  children. 

"  IIow  happy  I  should  be,  dear  father,  if  you 
could  unite  with  me  in  appreciating  this  beautiful 
project !  The  history  of  our  beloved  country 
shows  it  as  being  alwjiys  in  the  past  centuries  the 
shield  and  sword  of  the  Church.  Clovis  defeated  Ari- 


i      ■ ;: 


:!1W 


f' 


l;|,  .,> 


ii.. 


rf 


Sj! 


|:iMMi 
I"  *&( 


2CX) 


Alexis  Clerc. 


auism  ;  Cliaries  Martel,  Moliammcdauism  ;  Mont- 
fort,  Maniclicism;  the  League,  Protestantism.  Since 
the  Crusades,  in  wliicli  the  most  illustrious  were 
the  French,  the  ramo  of  Frank  is  used  every- 
where among  barbarians  to  signify  Christian ; 
and  France,  acce^iting  this  naturalization,  has  al- 
ways taken  upon  herself  the  defence  of  all  op- 
pressed Christians. 

*'  Thus,  our  forces  constantly  protecting  yirtuc, 
devotedncss,  and  weakness,  the  namo  of  France 
was  blessed  throughout  the  earth.  It  was  pro- 
claimed the  generous  and  chivalric  nation.  Oh  ! 
that  those  days  might  return,  that  we  might  un- 
derstand what  is  our  mission,  and.  how  our  destiny 
is  the  grandest  God  has  ever  given  to  a  nation  I 
In  giving  us  to  be  the  defenders  of  the  Church,  of 
the  Popes,  of  the  apostles  who  bear  his  Gospel  to 
the  confines  of  the  earth,  he  has  made  of  France  the 
right  arm,  the  temporal  strength  of  his  spiritual 
kingdom.  There  is  not,  there  cannot  be,  a  more 
exalted  destiny  for  a  state.  Onr  autliority  should 
be  universal,  like  that  of  the  Pope  ;  it  belongs  to 
us  to  protect  Christians  and  missionaries  every- 
where." 

When  he  received  the  assurance  that  the  expedi- 
tion would  certainly  be  made,  and  that  he  would 
belong  to  it,  he  fairly  jumped  for  joy,  and,  borrow- 
ing of  the  Blessed  Virgin  her  song  of  thanksgiving, 
he  cried  out :  ^^ Miujnificat  anima  meet  Domimim.-^ 
It  is  true  that  in  this,  as  in  everything  else,  he  did 
not  see  his  ideal  fully  realized  ;  the  plan  of  visit- 
ing the  Catholic  Missions  was  subjected  to  extenuu- 


I 


Preludes  of  Vocation. 


201 


I. 


;j 


tions  and  alterations,  wliich  deprived  it  in  his  eyes 
of  a  little  of  its  grandeur  and  of  its  religious  as- 
pect. But  enougli  of  its  first  meaning  remained  for 
him  to  find  in  it  a  noble  employment  of  his  abilities, 
and  for  him  to  congratulate  himself  upon  being, 
Avhilo  waiting  for  something  better,  associated  with 
an  enterprise  from  which  much  might  be  expected 
for  the  prosperity  of  several  important  Christian 
colonics  on  the  coast  of  Africa  and  on  the  different 
shores  of  the  extreme  East. 

''I  think,"  he  wrote  in  a  letter  of  October  19, 
"  the  end  of  my  waiting  is  near,  and  any  day  I 
may  receive  orders  to  j  jin  the  ship.  It  seems  they 
have  selected  a  steam-vessel,  the  Cassini,  which  is 
at  Lorient,  and  it  is  there  we  will  go  to  make  pre- 
parations. The  cruise  may  not  be  what  we  would 
have  wished  ;  it  may  perhaps  be  confined  to  ^ndia 
and  China,  instead  of  taking  in  the  whole  world.  It 
is  probable,  also,  that  the  commander  will  not  bo 
allowed  to  choose  his  men,  nor  all  of  his  offi- 
cers. Finally,  I  fear  for  my  part,  without  know- 
ing anything  positive,  that  too  diplomatic  an  air 
will  be  given  to  the  expedition  ;  I  would  prefer  to  do 
things  more  squarely,  and  to  say  quite  stupidly  that 
we  are  going  to  help  and  protect  the  Jesuits.  It  is 
true  that  for  France  diplomacy  and  the  protection 
of  the  Catholic  religion  are,  to  people  who  have  seen 
a  little  of  the  world,  one  and  the  same  thing.  I 
would  have  liked,  however,  that  they  should  not 
have  been  afraid  to  proclaim  our  intention.  Cir- 
cumspection, prudence,  is  not  my  strong  point, 
perhaps  ;  I  confess  that  I  do  not  like  these  con- 


if 


g,^*4 


ii' 


H 


l!!li 


202 


Alexis  Clerc, 


cessions  to  u  misled  public  opinion.  Still,  I  reas- 
sure myself  by  thinking  of  the  chief  who  is  to  com- 
nuind  us,  and  with  whom,  I  am  certain,  tliis 
worldly  prudence  will  never  degenerate  into  weak- 
ness. 

"  They  say  the  vessel  is  admirably  adapted  to  the 
purpose  in  many  ways  ;  it  is  almost  new ;  the 
boiiers  are  on  shore  being  repaired,  and  after  this 
the  Cassini  will  be  ready  for  a  long  voyage.  But 
this  will  take  some  time,  and  I  venture  to  say  that 
it  will  be  about  three  months  before  we  can  sail. 

*''Iam  not  quite  sure  what  will  bo  my  business 
during  this  time,  whether  I  shall  be  occupied  with 
the  equipment  of  the  ship,  or  shall  devote  myself 
to  acquiring  the  knowledge  that  will  enable  me  to 
bring  back  from  so  fine  a  voyage  documents  inter- 
esting to  science.  I  am  ready  for  whatever  de 
Plas  wishes  ;  in  any  case,  I  joyfully  await  the 
moment  of  making  myself  useful.  I  am  not  too 
much  afraid  of  inaction,  and  ennui  scarcely  ever 
torments  me;  but  my  uselessness  weighs  upon  me, 
and  1  am  rather  ashamed  of  living  with  so  little 
trouble." 

God  knows  whether  he  was  idle  or  not ;  and  as 
to  living  with  little  trouble,  if  he  was  exempt  from 
this  through  the  moderation  of  his  wants,  he  knew 
how  to  give  himself  for  others  ay  much  and  more 
trouble  than  people  who  are  stimulated  by  their 
own  interests  usually  take.  But  this  was  nothing 
compared  to  what  he  wished  to  do,  he  being  one  of 
those  who,  after  having  conscientiously  performed 
their  task,  render  themselves  justice  by  saying : 


.hing 
ne  of 
rmed 


Preludes  of  Vocation. 


203 


*' We  tiro  unprofiUiWe  servants;  wc  Lave  done 
that  which  we  ought  to  do"  (Luke  xvii.  10). 

And  now  comes  a  first  attemjit  of  Clerc,  en- 
dorsed by  the  commander  of  Uie  Cassinl,  to  give 
the  projected  expedition  as  Catholic  a  character  as 
possible.  Alexis  was  acquainted  with  the  Rev. 
Father  Rubillon,  provincial  of  the  Society  of 
Jesus  in  Paris,  the  same  who  has  since  been  assis- 
tant for  France  in  Rome.  With  full  confidence  in 
the  zeal  and  charity  of  that  worthy  superior,  he 
writes  to  him  under  date  of  October  19  : 

**Reveke]s^d  Father:  I  thank  you  from  the 
depth  of  my  heart  for  your  most  affeciionate  letter. 
I  now  undertake  this  long  cruise  with  a  feeling  of 
perfect  security,  and  in  the  hope  that  God  will 
make  it  serve  to  his  glory  and  our  spiritual  profit. 
Commander  de  PhisoHcred  in  Rome  to  take  on  the 
Cassini  a  delegate  from  the  Holy  Father  to  ex- 
amine and  judge  of  the  condition  and  wants  of  the 
universal  kingdom.  The  Ministry  has  itself  made 
the  same  proposal  to  the  nuncio  in  Paris.  It  is 
probable  that  a  plan  which  seems  so  advantageous 
to  the  Church  will  bo  accepted  ;  still,  it  is  not  cer- 
tain. However  that  may  bo,  this  delegate,  who, 
perhaps,  will  not  be  a  Frenchman,  may  have  visits 
to  make  which  will  keep  him  absent  from  the  ves- 
sel for  long  periods,  the  vessel  being  for  him  only 
a  moans  of  conveyance,  and  you  understand,  Rev- 
erend Father,  that  we  want  a  priest  for  ourselves  ; 
therefore  we  have  recourse  to  you. 

**The  law  relative  to  chaplains  does  not  apply 
to  vessels  like  ours  ;  we  will  be  rejoiced  at  this 


,(Br»  .^. 

IP"! 

-»•"■■  it* 
J*-  /I 


'^  T   i  ft 


<«*^V 


I* 
» 

fc'^w 


««««* 


^^i^%.  1 

,.^.      . 

. 

■I'll'" 

,  r*i»| 

:1W«'* 

204 


Alexis  Clcrc. 


misfortune  if  wo  can  derive  from  it  the  ad- 
Yantage  of  having  a  Jesuit.  As  the  Government 
will  have  nothing  to  do  with  this  choice,  it  will 
quite  willingly  keep  itself  ignorant  of  what  does 
not  concern  iL 

"  The  Father  shall  mess  with  and  be  provided 
by  the  commander ;  we  claim  all  the  other  ex- 
penses, and  wo  will  endeavor  to  return  him  in  as 
good  condition  as  when  he  was  delivered  to  us.  In 
our  difficulty  of  doing  more  and  of  securing  to  our 
chaplain  the  same  emoluments  as  though  he  were 
legally  and  administrativchj  embarked,  it  is  only  a 
priest  who  has  made  a  vow  of  poverty,  and  whom 
his  order  will  take  back  after  the  expedition  is  over, 
who  can  suit  us.  This  consideration  will  perhaps 
influence  the  Bisl'op  oi  Vannes,  from  whom  the 
chaplains  that  sail  from  this  port  receive  their 
faculties,  to  waive  his  right  of  appointing  a  priest 
of  his  diocese,  and  grant  readily  to  a  Jesuit  Father 
what  could  not  bo  accepted  by  a  secular  priest. 

*^But  if  the  exterior  difficulties  seem  easy  to 
overcome,  there  must,  however,  be  weighty  reasons 
to  induce  your  Society  to  relinquish  a  Father  for 
three  years  to  so  small  a  number  of  the  faithful  as 
compose  the  equipage  of  the  Cassini — 130  men. 

**Well,  in  the  first  place,  the  vessel  will  fulfil 
her  important  misdon  so  much  better  in  prcportion 
as  the  men  will  be  more  religious,  and  it  is  certain 
that  their  progress  in  piety  will  not  be  useful  to 
themselves  alone.  But  the  principal  reason  we 
have  to  offer  you  is  that  the  vessel  will  in  reality, 
as  was  said  at  first,  make  the  tour  of  the  world, 


Frcludcs  of  Vocation. 


205 


uer 


ulfil 
tion 
tain 
il  to 
we 
lity. 


and  that,  consequently,  the  Father  you  will  give 
us  as  our  chaplain  can  at  the  san^c  time  be  your 
visitor-general,  doing  for  all  your  houses  near  the 
coasts  what,  I  understand,  is  done  in  your  different 
European  provinces.  Thus  the  Society  will  itself 
derive  some  profit  from  what  will  be  to  us  such  a 
very  great  advantage. 

"  Keverend  Father,  I  address  you  this  request  in 
the  name  of  Commander  do  Plas ;  ho  will  be  m 
Paris  on  the  28th  of  October,  and  will  see  you  him- 
self relative  to  it;  but  as  some  delay  may  be  re- 
quired to  decide  the  matter,  ho  has  desired  me  to 
write  to  you  in  order  not  to  lose  time.  "We  expect 
the  yessel  to  bo  ready  to  sail  by  the  end  of  Decem- 
ber. 

"I  bog  you,  dear  and  venerated  Father,  look 
favorably  upon  this  project,  in  which  we  are  equal- 
ly jealous  of  our  own  good  and  of  that  of  the 
Society.  It  is  clear  that  the  selection  of  a  Father 
for  this  double  function  of  chaplain  and  visitor 
belongs  exclusively  to  your  Very  Reverend  Father- 
General,  but  de  Plas  has  told  me  to  mention,  with- 
out in  any  way  insisting  upon  it,  the  name  of 
Faiher  de  Sainte  Augele,  who  is,  he  thinks,  at 
Dole. 

"  I  pray  God  to  make  you  favorable  to  our 
plan. 

"Your  most  respectful  and  dutiful  son  in  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  A.  Clerc." 

What  a  spirit  of  faith  and  what  a  heart  of  an 
apostle  !  What  respect  for  all  proprieties,  especial- 
ly for  the  proprieties  of  the  religious  life  I    We 


a* '     i 

9 


if 


■^- 


206 


Aifxis  Clerc, 


iXIHIll 


feel  that  Clerc's  filial  submission  to  his  venerablo 
correspoudcnt  is  r.ot  a  mere  empty  phrase,  and 
that  without  being  bound  by  vows  he  finds  in  it  a 
foretaste  of  reh'gious  obedience.  All,  however,  was 
not  to  be  to  the  liking  of  Commander  do  Plas  so  ably 
seconded  by  his  lieutenant.  The  Cassini  did  not 
make  the  tour  of  the  world,  and  no  Jesuit  em- 
barked in  her.  But  this  double  disappointment 
was  compensated  by  the  presence  of  two  venerable 
bishops,  accompanied  by  several  priests,  and  by  the 
services  which  the  expedition,  having  once  reached 
Cliina,  rendered  to  one  of  the  most  interesting  of 
the  Jesuit  missions  in  that  extreme  East. 

The  preparations  were  long  and  laborious.  The 
officers  were  recruited  quietly,  without  any  open 
preference,  and  the  choice  was  as  fortunate  as  could 
reasonably  be  expected,  taking  into  account  the 
administrative  obstacles. 

"  The  Cassini  is  not  yet  ready  to  start,"  Alexis 
wrote  to  his  brother  Jules  early  in  November  (1850); 
"  her  boilers  are  still  on  shore,  and  it  will  be  a  month 
before  they  can  be  put  in  place ;  our  departure 
does  not  seem  to  me  possible  before  the  beginning 
of  January.  The  Cassini  is  a  vessel  very  similar 
to  the  Caiman;  she  has  already  been  tried  by  a 
voyage  which  did  not  injure  her  in  the  least  and 
tested  the  quality  of  all  her  belongings.  The  en- 
gine is  a  good  one,  and  has  been  thoroughly  in- 
spected and  made  equal  to  new. 

**  We  will  set  out  with  a  good  many  passengers 
of  all  descriptions,  even  nuns  and  bishops — the 
now  Eishop  of  Bourbon,  where  until  now  there  has 


Preludes  of  Vocation, 


207 


^y  a 

len- 
i  li- 
fers 
[the 
Ihas 


been  no  bishopric,  and  Mgr.  Verollcs,  bisliop  of 
Mantchooria,  who  lias  already  suffered  for  the 
faith. 

"The  cruise  attracts  many^ naval  officers,  and  it 
would  seem  that  the  shadow  of  cassocks,  as  Mr. 
Hugo  expresses  it,  does  not  sufficiently  obscure  the 
future  of  the  Cassini  to  make  it  dreaded.  Not- 
withstanding our  little  odor  of  Jesuitism,  peo- 
ple seem  quite  well  disposed  to  become  our  asso- 
ciates ;  it  is,  however,  a  perfume  that  diffuses 
itself  without  any  effort  on  our  part,  for  we  live 
very  quietly,  I  and  my  colleague,  Bernaert,  and,  it 
even  might  be  said,  in  a  diplomatic  reserve,  if  our 
tranquillity  were  not  the  effect  of  our  personal 
tastes." 

Tjiis  Bernaert,  the  second  lieutenant  of  the  CV/s- 
sj'«i,  was  aa  experienced  seaman  and  a  valiant 
Christian.  At  fifty  years  of  age  he  had  petitioned 
to  sail  as  supplementary  officer — that  is,  holding 
the  lowest  rank — but  a  decision  of  the  Maritime 
Prefect,  which  ho  had  noways  provoked,  restored 
him  his  riglit  of  seniority.  Not  less  generous  than 
modest,  although  he  was  without  fortune,  he  gave 
largely  of  the  little  he  had ;  for  instance,  on  his  ar- 
rival in  Cliiua  he  gave  GOO  francs  to  the  Procurator 
«f  the  Foreign  Missions  for  the  work  of  the  propa- 
gation of  the  faith,  saying  that  he  had  not  come 
to  that  country  to  economize.  He  was,  we  are 
told,  an  officer  who  only  lacked  the  occasion  to 
rise  to  the  heroic  and  who  lived  like  a  saint.  Once 
returned  to  private  life,  he  withdrew  to  a  town  of 
the  Department  du  Nord  (f^teenvoorde),  where  he 


4«d 


■■■"■'■■, } 


11 


208 


Alexis  Clcrc. 


died  a  few  years  ago,  leaving  behind  liim  the  re- 
putation of  a  most  upright  man,  and  an  example 
which  his  fellow  members  of  tlic  conferences  of 
St.  Vincent  do  Paul  have  not  forgotten.  Such  a 
man  readily  sympathized  with  Alcxi?.  Before 
their  departure  they  went  together  every  morning 
to  the  early  parochial  Mass,  and  together  they  ap- 
proached the  holy  table,  a  worthy  preparation  for 
the  kind  of  maritime  crusade  to  which  they  had  so 
gladly  consecrated  themselves.  Clerc  went  on 
board  the  vessel  every  day  to  inspect  the  progress 
of  the  work  and  to  superintend  the  arrangements, 
putting  to  profit  the  experienco  he  possessed  long 
since,  thanks  to  his  vovago  on  a  ship  of  the  same 
kind,  the  Caiman. 

A  striking  and  instructive  contrast  !  When  in 
1847  ho  was  cruising  off  the  western  coast  of 
Africa  on  that  steam  corvette,  which  did  a  good 
deal  of  transporting  in  the  interest  of  our  establish- 
ments of  Senegal,  he  felt  little  liking  for  that 
kind  of  service,  whoso  monotony  but  poorly  re- 
sponded to  his  warlike  and  chivalric  aspirations, 
and,  including  in  one  same  anathema  steam  and 
transportation,  he  wrote  to  his  father  with  a  fa- 
cetiousness  that  was  just  a  little  caustic:  *'  In  short, 
since  I  have  been  on  board  we  have  taken  in  eoal, 
then  loaded  with  baggage,  burned  our  coal,  re- 
loaded, reburned  coal,  etc, — always  the  same  thing 
over  and  over  again.  That's  the  life  of  an  officer  for 
you  !  Now  Ave  are,  I  believe,  relieved  from  loading 
for  some  time,  for  there  is  nothing  more  to  bo 
loaded.     If  you  had  since  my  departure  gained  the 


Preludes  of  Vocation, 


C09 


car  of  somC'influentiul  pcrsoniige,  I  would  tell  you 
how  vicious  it  is  to  cni]>loy  the  iiiivy  iu  this  way ; 
t!)iit  steam  vessels  require  sailors  to  riumtigo  them, 
but  that  on  board  of  them  i:;  is  impossible  to  Inurn 
anything  of  the  profession  ;  that  tiic  young  oflicers 
ought  not  to  be  attached  to  stoam  vessels,  and  that 
using  them  as  transports  makes  of  their  officers 
mere  carters,  teamsters,  etc."  lie  had  tho  mos!: 
exalted  idea  of  the  naval  service,  and  his  predilec- 
tion at  that  time  was  for  navigation  by  sails,  wit- 
ness certain  memoranda  on  the  cliassc  ilcsvaisseoAix 
which  were  found  among  his  papers.  This,  we 
are  assured,  is  a  beautiful  and  ingenious  mathe- 
matical theory,  but  of  which  the  application  is  im- 
possible in  steam  navigation.  However  that  may 
be,  charged  on  the  Cassinl  with  the  details  of  the 
engine,  lie  utilized  in  that  employment  knowledge 
of  a  quite  different  nature  wliicii  he  had  acquired 
on  the  Caiman  against  his  will,  so  to  speak ;  and 
contrary  to  his  expectations,  to  hum  and  rchurn 
coal  for  the  honor  of  France  and  in  the  interests  of 
C'ltholic  missions  became  the  great  joy  and,  as  it 
v.cre,  the  crown  of  his  naval  career. 

Thus  in  the  last  days  of  1850  we  find  him 
wholly  occupied  in  collecting  precise  and  detailed 
technical  information  upon  the  different  qualities 
of  combustibfes  that  could  bo  used  on  the  Cassini. 
The  School  of  Mines  affording  the  most  abundant 
resources  for  that  study,  Alexis  wished  to  i)rofit  by 
them,  and  came  to  Paris  for  the  purpose.  This 
journey  procured  him  the  acquaintance  of  a  man 
whose  friendship,  though  enjoyed  so  late,  was  in- 


<M*»1*^ 


111*  •  -" 

ini'J''' 


■  tifp 


1 1 


J 


210 


Alexis  Clcrc. 


finitely  precious  to  him  and  marked  an  epoch  in 
Ills  life.  Who  has  not  heard  of  Commander  Mar- 
ccau,  that  noble  Christian  with  whom  our  young 
lieutenant  had  so  many  points  of  resemblance  ? 
Both  entered  the  navy  through  the  Polytechnic 
School ;  both  escaped  a  great  danger,  strangers  as 
they  woro  to  all  religious  practices  ;  both,  also, 
from  the  time  of  their  conversion  aspired  unceas- 
ingly to  what  was  most  perfect,  and  had  no  other 
ambition  than  to  gain  for  Grod  adorers  in  spirit  and 
in  truth.  Marcean's  history  is  well  known  ;  it  is 
simple  and  beautiful,  like  his  character.  A  nephew 
of  General  Marceau  and  sole  inheritor  of  a  name 
that  figures  so  brilliantly  in  our  military  annals,  he 
thought  on  leaving  the  Polytechnic  to  take  a  rank 
in  the  army,  to  which  his  tastes  called  him,  and 
where  the  antecedents  of  his  uncle  seemed  to  pro- 
mise him  a  splendid  future.  But  in  some  sort  he 
was  not  free  to  follow  his  inclinations.  A  superior 
officer  asked  him  ;  "How  can  you  think  of  enter- 
ing a  career  wherein  a  relative  of  the  same  name 
has  distinguished  himself  ?  You  should  aim  at  an 
independent  and  personal  glory."  Urged  on  all 
sides  to  join  the  navy,  he  yielded.  "  And  so  for 
tv/enty  years,"  he  remarked  to  a  worthy  priest  in 
1849,  ^'I  have  been  wandering  over  the  sea  with- 
out either  liking  or  disliking  it.  Providence  had 
its  designs.  I  could  not  have  done  for  the  missions 
the  little  services  I  have  heen  permitted  to  do  if  I 
had  not  been  a  sailor."* 


*Seo  "Auguste  Marcpan,  Captain  of  Frigate,  Commander 
oC  the  Arche  iCAHiance,^^  by  one  of  his  friends. 


Preludes  of  Vocation, 


211 


Imander 


The  little  services  lie  speaks  of  with  sucli  Chris- 
tian humilit}^  would  pass  for  great  ones  in  the  eyes 
of  any  other  than  he,  and  if  we  consider  what  they 
cost  him  they  are  simply  heroic.  To  devote  him- 
self to  that  work,  whose  importance  he  fully  under- 
stood, he  sacriiiced  his  future,  his  repose,  his 
liealth,  and,  to  a  certain  point,  the  consideration 
he  enjoyed  in  the  service.  When  it  was  known 
that  he  had  sent  in  his  resignation  in  order  to  take 
command  of  a  merchant  vessel,  and  that  at  the 
very  moment  he  was  about  to  receive  the  epaulets  of 
a  captain  of  corvette,  it  was  feared  he  had  lost  his 
senses.  "  Why,  you  are  crazy  !  "  one  of  his  friends 
said  to  him.  "  Yes,"  he  replied  ;  "  humanly  speak- 
ing, I  am  crazy;  but  I  hope  that  by  faith  my  folly 
will  become  wisdom,  for  I  work  by  faith  and  for 
faith."  What  victories  had  he  not  to  gain  over  his 
natural  pride  when  he  constituted  liimsclf  a  beggar 
and  alms-collector  for  the  Societc  Erany-iiiie  do 
rOceanie,  exposing  himself  to  be  treated  as  a 
sharper,  or  but  litile  le?s  than  one,  while  at  the 
same  time  he  was  noways  deceived  as  to  the  thousand 
chances  against  the  success  of  the  enterprise  ?  But 
there  were  thousands  of  souls  to  bo  saved  ;  without 
him,  without  the  cruise  he  proposed  to  make  in  the 
ArcJic  cVAUiancCf  the  poor  islanders  of  Oceanica 
would  have  to  wait  a  long  time  yet  for  the  visit  of 
the  missionaries,  and  several  young  Churches  would 
sniler.  ne  did  not  hesitate  ;  setting  out  in  184G, 
he  returned  to  France  only  in  1849,  and  when 
Clerc  met  him  in  Paris  it  was  already  nearly  a  year 
since,  sick,  v/orn   out,  aged  before  his  time,  and 


■J!i 
ill'"*'*! 


4%' 


«!'••■■ 
Ill*  - 


a. 


212 


Alexis  Clerc. 


satiated  with  disappointments  of  all  sorts,  lie  had 
brcome  for  those  who  were  capable  of  appreciating 
holiness  one  of  the  grandest  examples  offered  to 
the  respect  and  admiration  of  our  century.  Ani- 
mated by  the  same  sentiments,  and  fully  dis- 
posed for  tbe  same  sacrifices,  how  greatly  Alexis 
must  have  enjoyed  the  conversation  of  the  noble 
sailor  who  had  realized,  in  a  certain  degree,  the  ideal 
that  he  himself,  together  with  the  commander  of 
the  Cassini,  was  then  cherishing  !  Marceuu's  great 
idea  was  the  creation  of  a  religious  navy.  *•'  An  im- 
possibility T'  the  world  exclaims.  Undoubtedly  if 
the  Government  refuses  any  assistance,  the  difficulty 
will  bo  almost  insurmountable;  but  if  it  is  pro- 
pitious there  will  not  be  wanting  men  of  good  will 
to  undertake  every  two  or  three  years  an  expedi- 
tion similar  to  the  one  whose  history  we  are  about 
to  fckctch  ;  and  if  the  French  flag  should  thus 
travel  along  all  the  coasts  of  the  nni verse,  ap- 
pearing everywhere  as  a  sign  of  concord  and  peace, 
and  carrying  in  its  folds  the  good  news,  we  may  be- 
lieve that  its  glory  would  not  be  dimmed.  Marceau 
died  ;  ha  spent  the  remnant  of  his  failing  strength 
in  a  retreat  made  at  Notre  Dame  do  Liesse  under 
the  direction  of  the  Rev.  Father  Fouiilot.  Here 
again  is  an  unexpected  similarity.  It  will  be  in 
this  same  community  (transferred  to  Laon)  that 
Clerc,  twenty  years  later,  will  pass  the  last  year  of 
his  life  (18G9-70)  in  the  exercises  of  the  third  pro- 
bation, which  are  to  prepare  him  for  martyrdom. 
God  united  them  only  for  a  moment  on  earth,  but 
lie  reserved  for  them  Eomething  better  than  that — 


Prchidcs  of  Vocation. 


213 


igtli 


ho  had  mude  tlioso  two  great  licarts  for  one  an- 
other.. Oh  !  liow  Marccau  must  have  welcomed 
our  Alexis  when  he  saw  liini,  in  his  turn,  landing 
on  the  shores  of  eternity  decorated  with  the  stig- 
mata of  victory  ! 

At  the  close  of  January,  1851,  Marceau  left  for 
Tours  with  his  mother,  and  some  days  later  Alexis 
heard  of  the  death  of  his  friend.  He  hastened  to 
console,  by  sharing  her  grief,  the  poor  mother  whom 
this  separation  plunged  into  mourning.  She  was 
a  woman  of  strong  faith,  but  who  had  not  always 
been  such  ;  by  an  unusual  and  touching  exchange 
of  parts,  she  had  received  from  her  son  what  most 
sons  owe  to  the  lessons  and  example  of  a  Christian 
mother.  Here  is  her  letter,  which  Clerc  preserved 
as  a  relic,  and  which  we  were  delighted  to  find  : 

"J.  M.  J. 

"  February  18,  1851. 

"It  was  yesterday,  my  dear  sir,  that  I  received 
your  kind  letter,  and  before  opening  it  I  con- 
jectured all  its  contents.  The  thought  of  you, 
cf  Mr.  de  Plas,  and  of  good  Doctor  iMontargis  has, 
so  to  speak,  been  constantly  present  to  my  mind 
ever  since  the  fatal  blow  struck  me.  I  eaw,  in  the 
few  moments  that  I  had  the  pleasure  of  your  ac- 
quaintance, all  the  affection  he  bore  you,  and  I 
could  not  doubt  of  the  sympathy  he  found  in  you, 
and  I  felt  a  sort  of  consolation  in  thinking  that 
your  tears  would  be  mingled  with  mine.  Auis  I  it 
is  not  for  that  dear  and  good  son  I  weep,  for  I 
have  the  sweet  confidence  that  he  novr  enjoys  in 
the  bosom  of  God  the  happitiess  he  has  promised 


. in* 


A 

•■««-*U    f 

xrni 

,g|lB!iSM5l     ; 

,««ni«*f 

-,'1    K 

dBi»«4JH      ■ 

UK.' 

'vll     1 

t 


UK  *  •* 


I  Hi'* 


214 


Alexis  Clerc, 


m 

11 


p^fi 


m 


to  his  faithful  servants  ;  hut  it  is  for  myself,  the 
poor  old  mother  who  liad  still  so  much  need  of  his 
counsel  and  example.  Nevcrthelesg  I  will  exert  all 
my  efforts  to  put  in  practice  the  example  ho  gave  us 
in  his  submission  to  the  holy  and  adorable  will  of 
God ;  daily  I  ask  this  grace  of  God  as  the  most 
precious  legacy  of  my  excellent  son. 

*^  As  I  am  quite  sure,  my  dear  sir,  that  this  let- 
ter will  be  the  last  you  can  receive  from  me  before 
your  departure,  I  shall  relate  some  of  the  circum- 
stances that  preceded  my  Augustus'  death,  at  the 
same  time  requesting  you  to  communicate  them  to 
Mr.  de  Plas.  You  two  will  henceforth  be  joined 
in  my  memorv,  and  my  prayers  will  accompany 
you  in  the  long  and  laborious  expedition  you  are 
about  to  undertake.  » 

"It  was  on  Tuesday,  as  you  know,  that  wc 
left  Paris.  Your  dear  friend  bore  the  ride  well 
enough  ;  only  he  began  to  suffer  from  the  cold 
about  fifteen  leagues  from  here.  At  last  we  ar- 
rived, and  the  feeling  of  happiness  ho  experienced 
in  finding  himself  at  home  again  seemed  to  make 
him  forget  the  fatigue  of  the  journey.*  Wednes- 
day he  was  very  feeble,  which  I  thought  was  a  na- 
tural consequence  of  travelling.  He  retained  some 
kinds  of  food,  others  he  rejected.  Thursday  v/as 
not  so  bad  ;  he  retained  almost  all  the  nourishment 
he  took ;  still  his  weakness  increased,  and  he  no- 
ticed it  himself.  The  night  of  Thursday  was  a 
bad  one;  he  had  frequent  spells  of  raising  blood. 

•  "  '•  -  ■  ''  '  '     .  ■  ■ 

*  Marceau's  sister  lived  at  Tours  with  his  mother. 


if  w 


Preludes  of  Vocation, 


215 


Friday  was  much  worse,  inasmuch  as  ne  suffered 
j^reatly  from  suffocation,  and  the  physician  whom  I 
had  called  on  Wednesday  had  deferred  coming 
again  until  Friday,  and  then  he  did  not  come  until 
late  in  the  evening  and  after  I  had  sent  for  him  twice. 
Oh  !  how  I  then  regretted  not  having  ashed  that 
kind  Doctor  Montargis  to  accompany  us  ;  he  would 
not  have  refused  me.  I  know  he  could  not  have 
cured  Augustus,  but  he  would  certainly  have  alle- 
viated his  sufferings.  However,  God  had  ordered 
it  otherwise,  and  I  desire,  after  the  example  of  my 
dear  son,  to  repeat :  *  Blessed  be  his  holy  name  ! ' 
Friday  night  was  not  so  bad  as  the  preceding  one. 
He  rested  very  well  and  retained  the  little  nourish- 
ment he  took  towards  morning,  but  complained  of 
suffocation.  Towards  eight  o'clock  this  increased 
and  he  sat  up.  I  then  proposed  to  him  to  rise  to 
have  his  bed  made  and  to  refresh  himself  ;  he  con- 
sented, but  without  seeming  anxious.  I  arranged 
everything,  and  during  this  time  wo  talked,  his 
sistei  being  with  us.  I  told  him  I  was  going  to 
write  to  the  doctor  to  ask  him  to  come.  That 
seemed  to  please  him.  Ho  said  to  me  :  '  You  will 
also  write  to  Father  Fouillot  ?  It  is  he  who  has 
put  me  in  this  si  ate,  therefore  he  ought  to  pray, 
and  get  others  to  pray  for  me.'  lb  was  then  near- 
ly nine  o'clock.  He  told  me  ho  was  ready  to  re- 
turn to  bed.  I  approached  the  fire-place  to  get  the 
shirt  I  had  put  there  to  warm,  when  my  daughter 
uttered  a  cry.  I  turned  and  saw  the  poor  fellow 
in  a  horrible  convulsion.  I  tried  to  make  him  in- 
hale salts  and  swallow  some  water  of  La  Salctte ; 


!■,' 


JtUt 

J*'  /■^ 


■<• 


d««»€N 


flrMxsj! 


mi* 


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ir 


IHl.'.  .  -'f 
111*  *ll  ■ 

!*  . 
•!»  '^  '1   1 


ilhVI 


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Alexis  Clerc. 


A 


^W*' 
<*!»• 


Iii«. 


i 


my  daughter  sent  quickl}'  for  the  physician  ;  I 
told  her  to  scud  also  for  the  priest,  Avho  did  not 
delay  coming.  The  superior  of  the  Ladies  of  the 
Presentation,  of  whom  he  is  the  chaplain,  followed 
him  and  bestowed  upon  my  Augustus  all  tlie  spiri- 
tual and  corporal  help  in  her  pov/er.  The  convul- 
sion being  over,  extreme  unction  was  administered  ; 
at  each  unction  the  dear  boy  asked  pardon  of  God. 
After  Holy  Communion  the  Sister  cleansed  his 
moutl),  ho  blew  his  nose  himself,  then  she  made 
him  take  two  small  spoonfuls  of  meat  jelly,  which 
beseemed  to  like.  After  this,  with  that  gentleness 
and  kindness  Avhich  you  know  belonged  to  him,  he 
looked  at  the  Sister  of  Charity  and  said  to  her: 
*  Thank  you,  Sister,  thank  you.'  This  marked  im- 
provement continued  about  half  an  hour.  I  acknow- 
ledge, dear  sir,  my  son  had  so  many  times  repeated 
to  me  that  Almighty  God  would  j^erform  a  miracle 
in  his  favor  and  cure  him  that  just  then  I  believed 
it  was  to  be  so.  But  my  hope  was  quickly  destroy- 
ed. A  second  convulsion,  much  more  frightful 
than  the  first,  seized  him,  and  at  half-past  eleven 
his  beautiful  soul  was  in  the  presence  of  God. 

"  At  that  moment  the  gmile  returned  to  his  lips, 
and  his  features,  contracted  by  his  horrible  Euli'er- 
ings,  became  calm  and  beautiful  again.  I  saw  him 
the  next  afternoon,  more  than  twenty-four  hours 
later;  he  was  not  at  all  changed  and  seemed  in  me- 
ditation. I  embraced  him,  saying  an  revoir,  for  I 
rely  upon  his  obtaining  for  me  the  graces  I  so 
greatly  need  in  order  to  deserve  to  join  him  some 
day. 


Prchides  of  Vocation, 


217 


lips, 

luffer- 

liim 

hours 

me- 

forl 

I  so 

some 


"I  do  not  doubt  that  these  details  will  be  pre- 
cious to  you  and  Mr.  do  Plas,  and  1  have  found  in 
the  thought  that  I  could  thus  testify  my  gratitude 
for  the  affection  you  both  bore  my  Augustus 
strength  to  write  them.  As  fcr  me,  dear  sir, 
though  Almighty  God  has  struck  me  in  what  I 
held  dearest,  I  know  not  how  to  thank  him  suffi- 
ciently for  all  the  graces  ho  has  deigned  to  bestow 
upon  me,  not  only  by  preparing  mo  for  the  greatest 
of  sacrifices  by  a  retreat,  but  also  by  permitting 
that  dear  and]  good  son,  who  since  his  return  to 
France  had  led  so  wandering  a  life,  to  come  to  die 
with  ns,  so  that  I  might  tai^e  care  of  him  at  the 
last,  and  might  have  the  sweet  and  precious  conso- 
lation of  praying  at  his  tomb.  There  I  do  not 
doubt  I  shall  obtain  precious  graces;  while  praying 
for  myself  I  shall  pray  for  you,  dear  sirs ;  I  shall 
ask  him  to  obtain  for  you  all  the  graces  you  need, 
to  place  you  under  the  protection  of  our  holy 
Mother  whom  he  loved  so  deeply,  and  to  bring  you 
some  day,  if  that  be  in  the  decrees  of  Providence, 
to  pray  with  me  over  his  tomb. 

"  As  there  is  nothing  I  am  more  anxious  to  do 
than  to  satisfy  your  pious  wishes,  I  send  for  you 
and  Mr.  de  Plas  two  books,  two  medals,  four  pic- 
tures, and  a  bit  of  the  cravat  he  wore  in  Jiis  last 
days ;  I  have  selected  these  objects  from  among  the 
most  worn  of  his  things,  as  having  been  more  used 
by  him,  thinking  that  thus  they  would  be  more 
precious  to  you.  I  add  a  copy  of  '■  Canticles  for 
the  Month  of  Mary,'  and  a  *  Litany  of  the  Will  of 
God  '  which  we  ought  after  his  example  to  try  to 


,50 --''«| 


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1.-" 

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d  lexis  Cicrc. 


make  profitable  ;  finally,  you  will  find  in  the  par- 
cel a  tiny  lock  of  hair. 

*'I  cannot  conclude  without  mentioning  the 
kind,  the  excellent  Mr.  Montargis,  who,  after  hav- 
ing bestowed  so  much  care  on  Augustus'  body,  took 
such  extraordinary  pains  the  last  week  to  procure 
Masses  and  prayers  for  his  soul. 

"  Farewell,  kind  friends  of  my  son.  Pray  for 
the  aged  and  unfortunate  mother  who  promises 
you  her  sincere  affection.  Yours  in  the  Sacred 
Hearts  of  Jesus  and  Mary, 

"  Mahoeau,  servakt  of  Mary." 

Marceau's  mother  signs  herself  servant  of  Mary, 
because  she  belonged  to  the  Third  Order  of  the  So- 
ciety of  Mary.  If  Marceau  had  lived,  he  would 
himself  have  finished  his  days  in  that  society, 
bound  by  the  vows  of  religion  and  consecrated  by 
holy  orders.  This  was  at  least  his  ambition  when 
it  pleased  God  to  put  an  end  to  his  exile  and 
crown  his  merits,  which  were  far  in  excess  of  the 
appreciable  results  of  the  work  to  which  this  man 
of  desires  had  sacrificed  himself. 


^         V 


\       f 


\ 


par- 

;  tlic 
•  liav- 
,  took 
ociire 

ly  for 
)mises 
Sacred 


Cw<«*t> 


RY." 

Mary, 
the  So- 
would 
;ocioty, 
ited  by 
11  when 
Ic  and 
of  the 
lis  man 


CHAPTER  VII. 

ALEXIS    CLERC    LIEUTENANT    ON    BOARD    THE    "  CASSINI  "— 
FROM  LORIENT  TO  SHANGHAI. 

•  Ox  the  Gth  of  March,  1851,  at  seven  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  the  Cassini  left  the  harbor  of  Lorient, 
and,  reviving  an  ancient  custom  fallen  into  disuse 
since  the  first  revolution,  saluted  with  all  its  ar- 
tillery the  sanctuary  of  Xotre  Dame  de  PArmor. 
At  the  same  time  the  missionaries  who  were  pas- 
sengers on  board  intoned  the  "Ave  Maris  Stella,'* 
which  the  whole  ship's  company  sang  with  marvel- 
lous earnestness.  Priests  and  sailors  united  in  one 
same  thought  of  faith,  supplicated  the  Star  of  the 
Sea  to  be  propitious  to  their  voyage,  and  to  bless 
the  very  diverse  enterprises  which  separated  them 
from  their  country — these  for  several  years,  those, 
or  at  least  the  greater  part  of  them,  for  the  re- 
mainder of  their  lives,  which  they  had  entirely 
devoted  to  the  salvation  of  souls. 

It  was  an  august  and  touching  spectacle.  On 
the  deck  were  seen  two  biahops — one,  Mgr.  Ve- 
rollcs,  illustrious  by  long  labors,  was  returning  to 
his  vicariate-apostolic  of  Mantchooria ;  the  other, 
Mgr.  Desprez  (now  Archbishop  of  Toulouse),  was 
on  his  way  to  inaugurate  the  bishopric  of  Saint 
Denis  (Island  of  Bourbon),  that  is,  to  take  posses- 
sion of  that  sec  of  which  he  was  the  first  bishop. 

219 


"•  i 


1^  -  -"I 
I*    -' 


v-Tl 


.-»■«"■ 

\¥t:  .■■» 

,   ,  if    u    *"    ■ 


dim 
""f 


220 


Alexis  Clcrc, 


Two  vicars-gcncral,  three  priests  of  tlio  Foreign 
Missions,  a  chaplain  attached  to  the  ('an.sini, 
and,  finally,  three  nuns  of  St.  Joseph,  destined 
also  to  carry  afar  the  name  and  the  good  odor  of 
Jesus  Christ,  loudly  proclaimed  by  their  pres- 
ence the  entirely  Catholic  character  of  the  ex- 
pedition. The  staff  of  officers,  excellently  well 
chosen,  exceeded  somewhat  the  strict  regulation 
number,  and  included  five  lieutenants,  one  ad- 
ministrative officer,  two  physicians,  and  six  mid- 
shipmen, four  of  whom  ijad  been  selected  from 
among  the  best  cadets  of  the  school-ship. 

Tiie  Cassini,  a  corvette  with  a  screw-propeller 
of  two  hundred  horse-j^ower,  carried  six  guns  and 
counted  one  hundred  and  twenty  men,  officers  in- 
cluded, which  equipage  would,  in  case  of  necessity, 
form  quite  a  respectable  military  force.  The  Cas- 
sini  was  bound  for  Bourbon  and  China. 

The  duties  of  chaplain  (without  the  official  title) 
were  discharged  by  the  Abbe  Cambier,  of  the 
clergy  of  Paris,  who,  to  join  the  expedition,  had 
voluntarily  left  the  parish  of  Saint  I'ierre  du  Gros- 
Caillou,  of  which  he  was  curate.  Having  been  ap- 
pointed some  years  since  pastor  of  Saint  Jacques 
and  Saint  Chr'stoplie  de  la  Villette,  he  in  the  kind- 
est possible  manner  has  loaned  us  the  journal  he 
kept  during  that  cruise  of  the  Cassuii,  solely  for 
the  sake  of  pouring  out  his  heart  into  the  bosom 
of  a  friend. 

Furnished  with  the  faculties  which  his  Lordship 
the  Bishop  of  Vannes  had  granted  him  for  the  entire 
cruise,  and  installed  as  comfortably  as  was  possible 


From  Loricnt  to  Shanghai. 


221 


np- 

;qucs 

/md- 

al  lie 

for 
osom 


in  his  floating  parish/  the  Abbo  Cambicr,  after 
having  made  the  acquaintance  of  his  new  flock, 
formed  liis  first  impressions,  and  consigned  them 
to  liis  journal  as  follows  :  *'  The  sailors  seem  young, 
and  wilh  not  much  experience  of  the  sea  ;  but  they 
will  soon  learn,  and  things  will  go  on  the  better 
for  it  if  Providence  deigns  to  favor  us  ever  so  little. 
Besides,  all  these  sailors  have  good  faces.  As  they 
are  Bretons  for  the  most  part,  the  priest  does  not 
frighten  them  ;  they  are  accustomed  to  seeing  him 
close  by,  to  listening  to  him  and  following  his  ad- 
vice. Therefore  I  can  expect  docility  from  them. 
The  cabin-boys  are  only  six  in  number,  and  they  will 
be  my  little  pet  flock.  Are  not  these  poor  chil- 
dren left  too  much  to  themselves  and  allowed  to 
mix  too  much  with  the  crew  ?  At  their  age  the  free 
conversations  they  hear  may  be  fatal  to  them.  To 
separate  the  cabin  boys  from  the  men  as  much  as 
possible,  to  watch  them  with  scrupulous  attention, 
to  instruct  them,  would  seem  to  me  a  necessary 
thing.  It  is  to  be  supposed  they  they  are  not  neg- 
lected ;  experience  will  doubtless  inform  me  about 
this.  The  men  number  a  hundred  and  twenty; 
they  will  be  my  harvest ;  may  ic  prove  a  good  one ! 
Without  any  doubt  I  might  say  that  it  will,  had  I 
as  my  only  pledge  and  guarantee  the  example  of 
the  commander  and  the  officers.  Were  I  not  al- 
ready convinced  of  the  power  of  good  example,  I 
should  soon  become  £0  on  board  the  Cassini.  I 
have  said  that  Mr.  de  Plas  is  a  good  Christian  ;  ho 
knows  that  ho  has  under  his  authority  not  only 
bodies  but  souls,  and  he  makes  of  the  navy  much 


C'".^. 
»•*, 
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!■♦■  ''*■•! 
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'    t 


222 


Alexis  Clcrc. 


IM^i  i- 


4p  ,*, 


less  a  means  of  advancement  for  himself  than  an 
opportunity  of  (xcrcising  liis  cnliglitened  zeal  in 
favor  of  llioso  he  is  ajipointed  to  command." 

Then  Abbe  Cambier  says  a  word  about  each  of 
the  officers  :  "  llis  first  officer — that  is,  the  one 
who  is  called  the  lieutenant  in  command,  because 
ho  has  supreme  control  of  all  the  details  of  tho 
vessel — his  lieutenant-commander,  I  say  [we  know 
that  it  was  Lieutenant  Burnaert],  is  likewise  a 
Christian  of  the  good  old  stamp.  Ilis  body  is  en- 
feebled by  long  and  hard  service,  but  his  heart  is 
young  and  vigorous.  lie  has  undertaken  tho 
Chinese  expedition  only  to  offer  his  assistance  to 
the  missionaries;  his  boxes  are  full  of  religious 
objects  which  he  destines  for  them  ;  one  of  his 
intentions  is  to  propagate  the  Society  of  St.  Vin- 
cent do  Paul ;  also  to  organize  a  conference  on 
board,  if  possible." 

Abbe  Cambier  is  careful  not  to  forget  the  sub- 
ject of  our  biography,  and  this  is  how  he  expresses 
himself  :  "  Lastly,  I  must  say  a  few  words  about 
the  youngest  lieutenant,  Mr.  Clerc,  a  pupil  of  the 
Polytechnic  School.  An  officer  selected  by  the 
commander,  his  piety  and  talents  justify  the  choice. 
If  he  continues  in  the  navy  I  think  his  future  will 
be  prosperous.  He  is  but  twenty-six  years  old,* 
and  is  already  a  lieutenant.  The  career  before 
him  is  a  long  one  ;  he  has  in  his  favor  youth, 
health,  and  merit.  I  would  not  be  surprised  if  he 
should  exchange  the  coat  for  the  habit ;  his  fervor 

♦  Clerc  was  then  past  thirty-one  ;  his  low  stature  and  his 
habitual  gayety  probably  made  him  appear  younger. 


From  Loricnt  to  Shanghai, 


223 


is  that  of  a  religious.  Undoubtcilly,  the  epaulets 
arc  very  lionorable;  the  piicst's  cassock  is  far  nioro 
so,  but  it  must  bo  given  by  God  with  the  voca- 
lion.  ..." 

The  worthy  chaplain  informs  us  how  lie  exer- 
cised on  board  the  vessel  a  ministry  that  was  wholly 
of  peace  and  persuasion,  that  imposed  on  the  men 
1:0  constraint  and  no  annoyance :  "  In  the  morning, 
tiftrr  the  reveille,  afc  six  o'clock  at  sea  and  dvo 
o'clock  ill  harbor,  I  said  prayers — 'Our  Father,' 
'  Hail  ]Mary,'  and  a  prayer  I  had  composed  for 
the  sailors.  When  the  furnaces  were  lighted  I  de- 
scended to  the  engine-room  and  performed  the 
same  devotions  there.  In  the  evening,  after  the 
reading  of  the  penalties  of  the  day  and  the  choice 
of  hammocks,  I  said  night-prayers  in  the  midst  of 
the  men,  all  standing  and  with  heads  uncovered. 
On  Tuesdays  at  half-past  one  there  was  catechism 
for  the  cabin-boys;  Sundays  Mass  was  celebrated 
at  a  quarter-past  ten  ;  it  commenced  with  tho 
'Asperges,'  and  in  harbor  there  was  an  instruc- 
tion on  the  Gospel  of  the  day.  At  sea,  at  two 
o'clock  Sunday  afternoons,  I  gave  an  instruction 
to  the  crew.  A  few  strokes  of  tho  bell  announced 
all  these  exercises,  and  those  only  came  who  want- 
ed to,  even  to  tho  morning  and  night  prayers." 

Kot  only  was  the  Christian  life  thus  freely  prac- 
tised on  board  the  Casslni,  but  Jesus  Christy  him- 
self had  his  throne  erected,  as  was  proper,  in 
the  place  of  honor.  "Yes,"  says  Abbe  Cam- 
bier,  "  we  had  a  real  chapel  on  our  vessel — a 
ehsipel    perfectly  appointed   with  altar,   taberna- 


^  J.       i:  t 


,"11  • 
■iffi 


224 


Alexis  Clcrc. 


•  lib-  .  : 


cle,  crucifix,  presses  for  the  vestments;  a  chapel 
where  we  had  the  hnppiness  of  possessing  the  Bless- 
ed Sacrament.  If  you  have  occasionally  visited 
some  vessel  in  one  of  our  ports,  you  must  be  ac- 
quainted with  the  part  called  the^^oo^;.  It  consists 
of  one  or  several  rooms  built  on  deck,  either  aforc- 
ships  or,  and  more  frequently,  aft.  On  ships  and 
frigates  this  poop  is  used  as  the  parlor  and  office 
of  the  commander.  On  the  Cassini  it  was  in 
three  divisions.  The  right  and  left  were  appro- 
priated to  the  two  bishops;  the  centre  one  was  the 
chaj)el,  closed  with  folding-doors,  which  were 
opened  for  the  celebration  of  Mass.  The  interior 
was  finished  in  pine,  veneered  with  varnished  lime- 
tree  wood.  On  the  front  of  the  altar  were  some 
symbolical  ornaments  carved  in  violet  ebony. 
The  cruciGx  that  surmounted  the  tabernacle  was 
of  walnut  wood  ;  it  was  not  cut  by  a  sculptor,  but 
only  by  an  humble  joiner  who  plied  his  trade  in 
the  port;  yet  it  was  not  less  a  little  chef-cVouvre  as 
well  as  the  whole  chapel.  The  artisans  of  Lorienfc 
had  bestowed  upon  this  tiny  chapel  all  their  skill, 
rnd  success  had  crowned  their  efforts. 

"  If  I  were  talking,"  adds  the  good  and  worthy 
priest,  "  to  a  Christian  without  faith  or  under- 
standing of  the  things  of  faith,  I  would  not  enter 
into  these  details,  but  I  know  that  it  will  be  a 
pleasure  to  you  to  hear  them,  and  that  my  words 
will  find  an  echo  in  your  heart.  Was  it  not  for 
us  all  on  board  the  Cassini  a  wonderful  good 
fortune  to  possess  the  Most  Blessed  Sacrament  ? 
Around  and  above  us  the  sea  and  the  sky  displayed 


less 


bat 

le  in 

;re  as 

)rient 


:tliy 

inder- 

I  enter 

be  a 

rorcls 

>t  for 

good 

lent  ? 

llayed 


From  Loricnt  to  SJiangJiai, 


225 


the  power  of  God  ;  close  to  us,  with  us,  the  Eucha- 
rist revealed  his  goodness  and  love.  Is  it  as- 
tonishing that  the  waves  bowed  down,  so  to  speak, 
before  our  vessel  to  allow  it  an  easy  and  rapid  pro- 
gress ?  Is  it  astonishing  that  peace  reigned  con- 
stantly in  our  midit,  and  that  numerous  blessings 
were  reserved  for  us  ?  The  Cassini  bore  in  her 
bosom  the  God  of  the  universe,  he  who  walked  on 
the  Sea  of  Galilee,  and  who  with  a  single  word  stilled 
the  tempests  1 " 

The  voyage  was,  from  beginning  to  end,  a  most 
pleasant  one.  It  is  true  that  at  starting  the  sea, 
which  was  rather  rough,  tried  some  of  the  passen- 
gers, but  in  a  little  while  the  weather  became  yery 
tolerable  for  the  season,  and,  after  a  six  days'  sail, 
on  the  12th  of  March  the  vessel  cast  anchor  off 
Funchal,  one  of  the  Madeira  Islands.  The  stay 
lasted  three  days ;  coal  was  taken  in  rapidly,  and 
a  supply  of  fresh  provisions  permitted  the  Cassiui^s 
company  to  reach  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  in  the 
best  of  health.  "  On  Eister  Day  *  the  corvette  was 
near  enough  the  Cape  to  warrant  an  unusual  con- 
sumption of  coal.  The  order  was  therefore  given 
to  put  on  all  her  steam,  and  the  Cassini  attained 
a  speed  of  about  ten  miles  an  hour.  The  sea  was 
smooth  as  a  lake,  so  nothing  pi'evented  the  plan 
of  having  a  High  Mass  from  being  put  in  execution. 
Mgr.  Desprcz  was  very  willing  to  officiate  ;  some 
eabin-boys,  nicely  dressed  and  intelligent,  wero 
turned  into  choristers,  and,  thanks  to  the  mission- 

*  I  am  hero  following,  or  rathci'  faithfully  copy  iug,  from  tho 
nt)tej  ot  Commandei  do  Flas. 


JIT*"" 


A""  /'I 


» 


0 


.il.  '■■ 


■■i 
M  ■  '■  * 


22G 


A /ex  is  Clerc. 


arics,  to  the  nuns  wlio  were  passengers,  and  to  a 
lieutenant  who  was  a  good  musician,  the  singing 
left  nothing  to  be  desired." 

Alexis  Clerc  wrote  from  Cape  Town  to  his  fa- 
ther :  "  We  arrived  here  April  22  at  two  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  after  a  very  fortunate  voyage,  during 
which  we  escaped  all  bad  weather  and  all  tlie  other 
miseries  of  sea  life.  Easter  Day  was  a  real  festival 
for  the  ship ;  the  weather  and  the  sea  were  perftct- 
ly  beautiful.  It  is  not  very  difficult  to  touch  the 
simple  hearts  of  these  ^ood  Bretons,  but  it  is 
sweeter  to  remember  those  happy  moments  than  to 
talk  of  them." 

Tlie  preparation  of  the  sailors  had  been  most 
careful,  and  their  chaplain's  efforts  were  crowned 
with  complete  success.  "I  told  them,"  ho  re- 
lates, "  that  confession  was  for  them  the  plank 
of  safety  after  shipwreck  ;  the  word  once  said, 
I  repeated  it ;  they  grew  accustomed  to  hear- 
ing it;  it  ended  by  sounding  less  harsh  to  their 
ears,  and  soon  after  it  f  jund  an  entrance  in  their 
hearts.  When  tlie  thought  of  Confession  is  in  the 
heart,  and  is  there  in  such  a  way  that  it  cannot 
fail  of  being  understood,  it  is  not  long  before  it  is 
put  in  practice.  This  is  precisely  what  happened 
on  our  vessel.  The  sailors  began  by  badgering  one 
another  about  it,  and  finished  by  confessing.  Our 
Holy  Week  was  entirely  taken  up  with  piety." 

Another  religious  solemnity  awaited  them  at  the 
Cape.  Mgr.  Griffith  was  preparing  for  the  dedica- 
tion of  his  church ;  he  anticipated  the  ceremony 
by  several  days,  so  that  tho  pomp  might  be  in- 


From  Lorient  to  Shattghai. 


227 


Our 


creased  by  the  presence  of  the  two  bishops  and  of 
the  numerous  clerfry  of  the  Cassinu 

The  commanLler  and  his  stall  were  also  invited, 
and  once  more  showed  themselves  sincerely  Catho- 
lic. 

*'  Day  before  yesterday  (Monday),"  Alexis  wrote 
to  his  father,*  "  the  bishop  of  the  Cape  dedicated 
liis  churcli.  The  Cassini  took  part  in  the  festival ; 
it  was  represented  by  its  clergy  and  by  a  deputation 
of  officers  and  sailors.  Oar  two  bishops  and  our 
seven  priests  added  greatly  to  the  pomp  of  the 
ceremony,  and  a  'Rcgina  Cool i '  and  an  '0  Salu- 
taris'  were  sung  with  very  good  effect.  The  French 
consul  had  the  first  place  in  the  ceremony  ;  tho 
officers  of  the  Cassini  ranked  with  him.  Ifc  is 
til  us  that  everywhere,  excepting  at  home,  we  are 
Catholics.  But  how  much  better  it  is  not  to  be  so 
through  necessity  and  from  political  interest — as 
the  English  are  Protestants — and  to  bring  to  the 
true,  inborn  opinions  of  our  race  that  adhesion  01 
tho  heart  which  i^rovcs  us  to  bo  sons  of  t])ose  who 
founded  the  power  and  glory  of  France  ! 

"  The  English  are  now  establishing  a  regular 
communication  between  tho  Cape  and  England.  It 
will  be  very  rapid — thirty-three  or  thirty-four  days  ; 
several  packets  have  already  made  the  passage  in  that 
time  ;  propellers  are  the  style  of  vessels  employed. 
When  the  project  is  completed  the  Cape  will  be  only 

*Let  us  remark,  once  for  all,  tint  the  greater  part  of  Alexis' 
letters  during  this  voyage  being  addressed  to  his  father,  we 
shall  not  continue  to  mention  this  each  time,  being  careful, 
however,  to  inform  the  reader  when  they  aro  aiidressed  to 
any  one  else. 


Ill  «•««  .••«!!, 


flOJSd* 


% 


diC 


.Hi'-' 


mi!' 

I'm' 


li' 


y'- 


228 


Alexis  Clcrc. 


ftRi.  . 


:i^ 


a  way-station,  and  the  packets  will  go  on  to  Mauri- 
tius, then  to  Ceylon  ;  others  will  go  to  New  Hol- 
land. AVc  cannot  help  envying  this  energy  and 
enterprise,  and,  ii  England's  objcci;  was  not  at  the 
price  of  such  great  efforts  to  sell  her  cotton-goods, 
we  would  have  to  bow  before  a  superiority  laudable 
in  its  end  as  well  as  in  its  means.  .  .  .  That  com- 
merce should  be  not  a  means  of  greatness,  but  the 
greatness  of  a  country,  is  impossible,  and  the  na- 
tion that  applies  to  such  small  interests  so  con- 
siderable a  power  will  one  day  be  judged  from  this 
point  of  view." 

The  CctHsini  left  the  Cupe  May  3.  The  month 
of  Mary  was  not  forgotten.  Every  evening,  when 
the  sun  had  disappeared  beneath  the  waves,  all 
gathered  like  one  family  before  Mary's  altar,  erect- 
ed in  the  chapel  on  deck,  and  there  they  prayed 
with  their  whole  hearts,  and  sang  with  loudest 
voices  canticles  of  praise  to  the  august  Mother. 
Sailors  and  passengers  were  very  fond  of  a  refrain 
that  was  remarkably  appropriate  to  them  : 

"  Exilds  do  notro  patrie, 

Nous  voguons  au  milieu  des  flots  ; 
«'»       Soycz  notro  dtoile,  0  Mario  ! 
Soyez  aussi  notre  rcpo;;."* 

Thus  they  reached  Bourbon  May  21.  Mgr. 
Desprez  landed  the  morning  of  the  22d  ;  saluted  by 
the  CassinCs  guns,  he  was  received  on  shore  by  the 
commander  of  the  troops  of  the  garrison,  Licuten- 

*^  "  Exiles  from  our  country," 

We  wander  o'or  tbe  waves  ;        ,  . 

Be  thou  our  star,  O  Mary  ! 
B3  likewise  our  repose." 


/ 


From  Lor  lent  to  ShangJiai. 


229 


ant-Colonel  tic  Cendrccourt ;  after  this  ho  was  es- 
corted proccssionully  to  his  cathedral,  where  ho 
took  possession  of  his  sec  according  to  the  canoni- 
cal forms.  Alexis  wrote:  "Tlic  ceremony  was 
very  beautiful,  both  by  reason  of  the  august  pomp 
of  our  religious  solemnities  and  of  the  immense 
concourse  of  people  that  welcomed  a  new  autho- 
rity whose  paternal  tenderness  and  tutelary  care 
they  foresaw  without  understanding  it.  But  the 
bishop's  allocution,  in  which  he  traced  his  plan  of 
conduct  and  its  object,  was  the  crowning  joy  of  the 
festival,  because  it, revealed  all  his  charity  in  a  sim- 
ple way,  and  showed  liim  by  a  few  words  what  our 
constant  intercourse  with  him  on  shipboard  had 
taught  us  he  was."  A  shadow,  however,  fell  upon 
the  picture.  Referring  to  a  newspaper  article, 
"which  would  have  been  perfectly  well  placed 
in  the  National,''^  Alexis  adds:  "  IIow  sad  to  still 
see  what  is  most  exalted  iu  the  social  scale  giving 
an  example  not  only  of  indifference  to  our  holy 
religion  but  of  positive  aggression.  Is  not  a  coun- 
try where  tha  government,  the  administration  of 
justice,  and  the  system  of  education  arc  anti- 
Christian,  very  near  being  a  pagan  state  ?" 

Another  letter  turns  upon  the  Madagascar  mis- 
sion and  the  hopes  of  colonization  to  which  it  gave 
rise.  "We  feel  very  plainly  the  true  ring  of  the 
French  spirit  in  this  familiar  talk  : 

"  It  would  seem  that  they  arc  trying  there  (in 
Madagascar)  a  new  system  of  colonization,  or,  to 
speak  more  exactly,  without  any  system  they  arc 
pursuing  a  course  which  the  nature  of  things  indi- 


wi»«(«i"jl 


KlIHi-'l  j 


'iir' ' 


i 


if'  ■t''^. 


230 


Alexis  Clerc. 


cates,  but  wliicli  h  new.      There  is  no  purpose  of 
reducing  the  natives  to  servitude,  nor  of  destroj^ing 
them  by  war  because  they  are  warlike  ;  they  are  to 
bo  taught  and  themselves  made  the  colonists  of 
their  island.     There  arc  ut  different  points  Jesuit 
missionaries,  untiring  laborers,  who  are  the  means 
of  this  new  plan.     It  has  not,   I  repeat,  been  sys- 
tematically adopted  ;    it  is  followed  because  it  is 
possible.     The  present  governor  of  Mayotta,  who 
exercises  authority  over  the  other  possessions,  is  a 
superior  man  who    seems   to   thoroughly  under- 
stand the  position.     The  climate  of  Madagascar  is 
murderous  to  Europeans  ;    the  missionaries  have 
made  Bourbon  their  hospital ;   they  go  there  weary 
and  feverish,  stay  long  enough  to  restore  health 
and  strength,  and  then  return   to   combat  until 
death.      Their  hospital  is  at  the  same  time  a  col- 
lege ;  they  have  there  about  forty  young  Madagas- 
cans,  little  negroes  who  in  spite  of  their  color  look 
like  good  children.      They  teach  them   reading, 
writing,  religion,  and  a  trade,  and,  once  grown  to 
manhood,  establish  tliem  in  homes.   If  these  people 
do  not  love  a  country  which  sends  them  such  de- 
voted masters,  who  at  the  price  of  their  own  lives 
— for  the  missionaries  always  end  by  leaving  their 
bones  on  these  foreign  shores— teach  them  to  live 
physically  and  morally,  they  are  very  ungrateful. 
If  they  did  but  know  how  different  are  the  usual 
methods  of  colonization,  what  would  they  not  say 
in  our  praise  ! 

"Meanwhile,  in  the  vicinity  of  this  college  the 
Sisters  of  St.  Joseph  rear  to  labor  and  virtue  about 


From  Lorient  to  Shanghai. 


231 


forty  little  Madagascan  girls,  probably  tho  future 
"wives  of  the  forty  boys.  The  plan  is  well  under 
way,  and  the  poor  islanderH,  wlio  are  without  malice 
or  guile,  are  all  capable  of  letting  themselves  be 
led  like  children  when  they  shall  see  the  fruits 
of  Christian  civilization.  Alas  !  why  are  tliere  so 
many  places  in  France  where  the  sight  Avould  be  as 
novel  as  in  Madagascar  ? 

"I  delight  in  dwelling  on  the  idea.  As  the 
children  are  still  in  the  hands  of  their  teachers,  I 
speak  only  of  my  desires,  of  my  hopes,  of  my 
dreams  if  you  will.  But  even  if  the  success  should 
not  correspond  to  the  hopes  it  would  not  lessen 
the  merit  of  the  enterprise.  This  is  what  I  love 
in  our  generous  country :  she  uses  her  superiority 
to  protect,  not  to  subjugate.  Here  the  field  is 
small,  it  is  true,  but  it  is  not  less  a  noble  use  of  her 
power.  Oiher  nations  may  be,  and  are  generally, 
more  skilful  colonizers;  they  know  not  how  to  be, 
like  us,  true  civilizers." 

Towards  the  middle  of  June  the  Cassini  had  to 
think  about  resuming  her  Toyage  to  India  and 
China.  The  Abb6  Cambier  had  embarked  only  for 
Bourbon  ;  for  a  moment,  however,  he  hoped  to  be 
able  to  defer  a  parting  which  only  to  think  of  broke 
his  heart.  If  the  corvette  Bury  dice  had  arrived  a 
few  days  later  the  worthy  chaplain  would  have  stayed 
with  the  Cassini  as  far  as  China.  The  time  for  the 
departure  of  the  latter  vessel  was  very  near  when  a 
French  war-vessel  was  signalled  at  the  lookout  of 
tl:e  master  of  the  port  ;  an  hour  later  a  second  sig- 
nal indicated  her  number  :  she  was  the  Eurydice. 


I 


T!S^ 


232 


Aicxis  Clcrc. 


!BL'S.M 


"  I  saw  at  a  distance  this  corvette  approaching,*' 
he  wrote  in  liis  journal,  "and  the  sight  troubled 
mc.  What  was  going  to  happen  ?  '  My  God,'  I 
murmured,  *dost  thou  exact  of  mc  a  new  sacrifice? 
Grant  me  strength  to  accomplish  it  ! ' 

"June  15,"  Abbe  Cambier  continues,  "  towards 
ten  o'cloclf  a  boat  came  from  tho  EurydicG  to  the 
Cassini.  A  midshipman  climbed  on  board  and 
delivered  to  the  commander  a  packet  from  the 
commander  of  the  station.  This  packet  was  no- 
thing less  than  an  order  to  pass  from  the  Cassini 
to  the  Eurydicc  in  quality  of  chaplain  of  the  naval 
station  of  La  Reunion,  and.  that  within  twenty-four 
hours.  All  objections  were  useless.  God  demand- 
ed a  sacrifice  of  me.  I  must  obey  him;  would  that 
I  hal  done  it  in  a  manner  more  meritorious  for 
heaven  !  Tears  were  shed  on  both  sides  ;  as  for 
me,  I  wept  the  most,  .  .  .  and  when  the  moment 
of  parting  came  it  was  not  only  tears  but  sobs 
which  my  broken  heart  could  not  contain. 

"  The  next  day  but  one  the  Cassini  weighed  an- 
chor and  steamed  out  of  the  harbor  of  Saint  Denis. 
I  had  not  the  courage  to  witness  her  starting  off. 
When  I  went  up  on  the  deck  of  the  Eurydice  there 
was  still  visible  in  the  far  distant  horizon  a  column 
of  smoke.  .  .  .  That  smoke  came  from  the  Cassi- 
ni's  engine,  and  there  was  nothing  more  needed  to 
make  my  tears  flow  afresh.  I  descended  to  my 
room,  and  that  day  was  one  of  the  saddest  I 
ever  spent  from  the  time  I  was  old  enough  to  be 
acquainted,  with  sorrow  and  heartaches." 

These  lines,  which  we  would  not  have  omitted, 


ilhiL. 


From  Lor  lent  to  Shanghai. 


233 


M 


an- 
nis. 
off. 
lerc 
mn 


are  the  highest  praise  of  the  Cassini,  and  they  will 
not  be  read  without  exciting  a  rospeotfiil  sympathy 
for  their  writcrj  who  was  cupahlo  of  loving  souls 
ivith  so  tender  and  pure  an  affection  in  the  Lord. 

July  14  the  Cassini  ancliored  before  Achoen, 
the  capital  of  a  kingdom  of  the  same  name  situated 
in  the  extreme  northwest  of  the  island  of  Sumatra. 
The  object  was  to  obtain  satisfaction  for  the  very 
inhospitable  welcome  given  to  a  Neapolitan  ship, 
the  Clernentina,  whose  captain  and  first  and  second 
lieutenants  had  been  victims  of  a  terrible  treachery, 
accompanied  by  robbery  and  pillage.*  Clerc  was 
sent  in  a  boat  to  find  the  sultan  and  his  capital. 
Geographers  speak  of  a  city  of  twenty  thousand 
souls,  of  a  fleet  of  five  hundred  sail,  of  an  army  of 
sixty  thousand  men  who,  with  the  same  number  of 
Hollanders,  besieged  Malacca.  He  saw  no  vestige 
of  all  this,  and  asked  himself  if  it  were  not  a  fic- 
tion. Nevertheless,  nothing  is  more  certain  than 
that  in  the  sixteenth  century  the  sultans  of  Acheen 
were  strong  enough  to  drive  the  Portuguese  from 
the  island,  and  that  at  that  epoch  they  received 
embassies  from  all  the  states  of  Europe.  There 
is  a  sequel-  to  the  talc:  since  the  visit  of  the 
Cassini  that  fallen  power  has  restored  the  honor  of 
its  flag,  and  quite  recently  the  Dutch  were  twice 
obliged  to  renew  their  efforts  and  reinforce  their 
troops  to  escape  being  compelled  to  retreat  before 
it.     What  our  compatriots  ^aw  in  1851  gave  them 


ICviWa^ 


<:ks> 


,.«■ 


««"•■■     J, 
l,iar»*st>f 


I: 


it 

If*  A 
my  \ 


ted, 


*  The  thieves  had  stolen  to  the  value  of  about  twen'cy-two 
thousand  dollars,  of  which  the  commander  of  the  Cassini  de- 
mandod  the  restitutiou. 


234 


Alexis  Clcrc. 


' )  f ' 


««(:;*. 


\w. 


■J- 1 


lfeS4 


i-rsi'.^ 


no  presentiment  of  such  a  revival  of  energy  and 
warlike  spirit. 

Clerc's  first  business  on  landing  ii  to  procure  an 
interpreter  ;  lie  finds  one  who  knows  a  few  words 
of  French,  and  engages  him  for  want  of  a  better. 
Then  he  sets  about  hunting  up  the  sultan,  discov- 
ers his  palace  not  without  difficulty,  and  obtains  an 
audience.  Hardly  has  he  explained  the  object  of 
his  mission  when  the  Malayan  monarch  com- 
mands to  be  taken  from  a  casket  a  case,  and  from 
this  case  a  paper  certifying  the  cordial  friendship 
existing  between  the  sublime  sultan  and  the  Empe- 
ror of  France,  Louis  Philippe.  "Not  exactly 
knowing,"  Clerc  says,  "  how  to  express  my  respect 
for  that  sovereign  document,  I  solemnly  kissed  the 
paper,  and  to  the  questions  asked  me  about  the 
king  I  was  very  happy  to  be  able  to  reply  that  he 
was  dead  ;  for  to  make  that  worthy  sultan  under- 
stand that  wo  discharge  our  kings  with  less  cere- 
mony than  other  people  do  their  se>*7ants,  seemed 
a  task  too  hard  for  me  ;  iie  would  have  believed 
himself  to  have  been  outwitted  and  that  his  paper 
was  of  no  value." 

The  next  day  there  is  a  solemn  audience  given 
to  the  commander  of  the  Cassini,  who  is  attended 
by  a  numerous  staff.  When  the  sultan  is  asked 
what  he  will  do  to  punish  the  criminals  who  are 
men  of  Daliia,  ho  replies,  after  repudiating  all  par- 
ticipation in  the  crimes  they  are  charged  with,  that 
he  can  do  absolutely  nothing. 

The  interpreter  being  inefficient  and  the  sultan 
badly  disposed,  Oommander  de  Plas  and  his  officers 


From  Lorient  to  Shanghai, 


235 


par- 
that 


■withdraw  somewhak  dissatisfied.  The  foliowinf:^ 
day,  after  an  exchange  of  presents,  the  Cassini 
leaves  for  Poulo-Pinang  ;  there  a  more  skilful  in- 
terpreter is  procured,  and  the  supply  of  coal  re- 
plenished ;  then,  returning  to  Sumatra,  the  vessel 
passes  Acheen  without  stopping  and  drops  anchor 
in  sight  of  Clouang. 

"There  is  nowhere,"  Clerc  writes,  *'  a  country 
more  beautiful  than  this  ;  its  landscape  is  irregu- 
lar, and  the  richest  vegetation  covers  all  the  moun- 
tains to  their  very  summits  ;  the  trees  crowd  on 
the  sea,  so  to  speak.  "Wo  passed  close  to  the 
shore.  Clouang  in  particular  is  remarkable  for  its 
beauty.  The  anchorage  is  between  a  rocky  islet 
and  a  high,  wooded  hill ;  in  front  of  us  is  a  low 
and  fertile  shore  where  a  river  has  its  outlet  ;  the 
river,  as  well  us  the  island  and  the  country,  is 
named  Clouang.  A  little  distance  inland  other  hills 
rise  from  the  plain  and  indicate  a  fertile  and  well- 
watered  country." 

From  Clouang  they  repair  to  Dahia,  and  there 
the  interpreter  and  seven  men  are  sent  on  shore  to 
present  to  the  rajah  a  letter  in  which  the  comman- 
der declares  that  he  wishes  to  arrest  the  guilty 
without  strikint;  the  innocent.  The  two  culprits 
being  really  found  at  Dahia,  as  soon  as  the  inter- 
preter has  returned  to  the  ship  a  couple  of  boats 
are  armed,  and  Clerc,  at  the  head  of  a  force  of  fifty 
men,  is  charged  with  the  capture  of  the  Malay 
chief  who  committed  the  murder.  Let  us  leave 
him  to  describe  this  little  expedition  himself  : 

"We  found  an  extremely  rapid  current  at  the 


236 


Alexis  Cure. 


f^t%u 


."'»•'. 


Jliv:! 


bar  of  the  river ;  the  waters  wore  swollon  by  the 
rains  (occasioned  by  the  southwest  monsoon).  For 
two  entire  hours  we  etru^^glcd  vainly  against  this 
unexpected  obstacle,  and  all  the  M'hile  within  a 
pistol-shot  of  the  shore ;  but  I  had  already  seen 
enough  of  the  Malays  at  Acheen  not  to  be  fright- 
ened at  that ;  moreover,  the  current  would  have 
quickly  carried  us  out  of  their  reach  if  we  had 
needed  to  escape  from  them.  During  the  long 
struggle  once  1  ran  my  boat  on  a  coral  reef  which 
forms  the  bar  and  renders  the  current  so  rapid  ;  I 
was  already  just  above  it ;  we  were  in  the  greatest 
danger  of  being  filled  with  water  and  dashed  to 
pieces ;  the  boat  was  tossed  from  side  to  side. 
But  the  sailors  remained  calmly  in  their  places, 
and  the  Hand  that  protects  the  Cassini,  with  a  sin- 
gle little  wave  rescued  the  boat,  which,  impelled,  by 
the  current,  overleaped  the  bar  and  returned  to 
the  assault  of  the  river.  At  last  we  stepped  on 
shore.  I  sent  six  men  with  a  midshipman  to  form 
an  ambuscade,  and,  having  provided  for  the  guard- 
ing of  the  boats,  I  started  with  the  rest  of  the  men 
for  the  fort  of  Kerjeroun-Siadom.  To  enter  this 
stronghold  cost  us  only  the  trouble  of  opening  or 
forcing  the  doors  ;  there  was  nobody  within.  We 
next  went  to  the  murderer's  dwelling;  again  no- 
body. Then  I  heard  the  reports  of  muskets ;  my 
searcli  was  ended.  I  returned  uneasily  to  the 
shore  and  found  my  ambuscade,  who,  in  spite  of 
positive  orders  not  to  fire  unless  they  were  attacked, 
had'  levelled  at  the  fugitive.  Fortunately  no 
one  was  wounded.    We  crossed  the.  river  and  paid 


.  From  Lor ic lit  to  SJiangJiai. 


'■17 


jg  or 
We 
no- 
my 
the 

lie  of 
jked, 

paid 


an  equally  unsucce  l'uI  visit  io  llio  olhcr  culprit, 
EtaJji-Mulot.  After  this  wc  returned  to  the  ship. 
The  next  day  before  leaving  wc  burned  the  houses 
of  those  two  men."  To  shorten  the  story,  when 
the  sultan  learned  what  had  taken  place  at  Dahia 
ho  became  more  tractable,  and  shortly  afterwards 
he  bound  himself  in  a  written  agreement  with  tho 
commander  of  the  Cassini  to  pursue  with  all  tho 
means  in  his  power  the  cowardly  aggressors  of  tho 
Clementina. 

The  Neapolitan  Government,  informed  of  what 
had  been  done  to  inflict  an  exemplary  punishment 
on  the  criminals,  sent  the  decoration  of  Saint 
Georges  de  la  Jleunion  to  ^Fr.  de  Plas  and  Ihe 
cross  of  tho  Merile  de  Naples  to  his  lieutenant. 
Alexis  never  wore  that  badge  of  honor,  which 
reached  him  in  rranco  at  the  moment  when  he 
was  laying  aside  his  uniform  to  be  clothed  wiih  the 
livcrv  of  Jesus  Christ. 

After  having  again  touched  at  Poulo-Pinangand 
made  a  stop  at  Singapore,  the  Cassini  entered  the 
China  Sea,  and  towards  the  end  of  August  she  an- 
chored in  front  of  Macao,  a  city  already  almost  en- 
tirely Chinese,  and  the  gate  of  tho  Celestial  Em- 
pire. All  along  the  route  Clerc  had  met  quite  a 
large  number  of  Chinamen  ;  he  had  seen  Ihem  at 
Bourbon  and  Sumatra,  as  well  as  at  Poulo-Pinang 
and  Singapore,  and  ho  had  admired  their  remark- 
able facility  for  establishing  themselves  according 
to  their  own  fashions  and  carrying  China  with 
them  everywhere.  But  in  Macao  he  saw  them  in 
gross  and  at  home,  and  his  observing  mind  regard- 


<fc^*>i 


•••••I    'r,. 


■i ; 


K 


f 


"Am* 


••**<•  »l!!» 


N?i' 


238 


Alexis  Clerc. 


ing  them  with  attentive  curiosity,  he  was  struck 
with  their  original  and  somewhat  grotesque  phy- 
siognomy. This  weakness  is  pardonable  in  a  tho- 
rough Parisian  such  as  he  was.  At  the  very  first 
glance  at  the  Macaons  ho  had  a  veritable  explosion 
of  hilarity,  and  his  laughter  resounded  as  far  as 
Paris. 

"I  want  to  say  a  few  words  to  you  about  the 
Celestial  Empire,  at  the  gate  of  which  we  now  are. 
I  have  not  seen  a  great  deal  of  it,  but  I  have  seen 
persons  who  are  better  acquainted  with  China  than 
the  Chinese  are  themselves.  Father  Hue,  whose 
work  you  have  read,  and  other  missionaries  who 
have  met  with  similar  adventures. 

"  In  the  first  place,  the  most  exact  model  of  a 
Chinaman  is  the  representation  seen  on  what  we 
call  Chinese  screens.  It  is  enough  to  make  one 
die  laughing  to  meet  the  originals  of  those  comi- 
cal portraits.  Travellers  are  not  all  men  of  vera- 
city, as  we  learn  when  we  visit  distant  countries 
with  their  descriptions  in  our  hands  ;  but  fortu- 
nately no  traveller  ever  invented  the  Chinene 
queue.  It  must  certainly  be  for  the  sake  of  dissi- 
pating the  melancholy  of  foreigners  that  they  all 
carry  about  this  singular  appendage.  Note  well, 
it  is  not  one  of  those  littlo  rat-tails  such  as  are 
worn  with  ailes  de  pigeon  (a  way  of  arranging  the 
hair) ;  these  are  queues  of  magnificent  develop- 
ment and  reach  down  to  the  ankles.  The  Chinese 
are  quite  capable  of  fraud  ;  therefore  I  believe 
that  there  are  many  queues  ornamenting  heads 
other  than  those  that  raised  them  ;    but  in  general 


ir 


Front  Lor  lent  to  Shanghai. 


239 


3I  of  a 
lat  we 
ke  one 
comi- 
ycra- 
.1  a  tries 
fortu- 
liincoe 
dissi- 
ley  all 
well, 
as  are 
g  the 
veloi^- 
hinese 
eliove 
heads 
eueral 


the  Chinese  have  abundant  hair.  Finally,  whether 
their  'queues  belong  to  them  or  not,  they  turn  them 
into  cravats  when  they  arc  in  the  way. 

"  Grotesque  as  he  is,  the  Ch'naman  is  a  keen, 
active,  and  cconomic^il  merchant,  and  also  an  arti- 
san who  cannot  be  surpassed.  His  character  is  a 
most  remarkable  one.  He  lives  on  a  little  rice, 
wears  garments  of  very  small  cost,  and,  we  may 
say,  unites  in  his  person  the  most  marked  contrasts  ; 
he  is  lazy,  and  at  the  same  time  very  active,  very 
sober,  and  very  gluttonous,  very  ingenious  and. 
very  circumscribed ;  but  he  is  especially  cunning 
and  insinuating.  A  great  fuss  is  made  about  the 
settlement  the  English  have  accomplished  at  Ilong 
Kong;  I  fear  the  profit  of  it  will  not  be  theirs. 
Unquestionably,  the  great  mandarins  who,  after 
having  enriched  themselves,  run  the  almost  sure 
risk  of  being  exiled  or  im2)overished,  if  not  worse, 
will  be  only  wis3  to  jump  into  Ilong  Kong,  which 
is  so  near  by,  and  purchase  a  palace. 

*'  The  English,  it  is  true,  understand  coloniza- 
tion perfectly,  and  they  have  discovered  that  its 
first  condition  is  that  the  colonists  live  in  the  pur- 
suit of  what  they  call  comfort ;  while  we  aro  only 
camped  in  our  colonics  they  are  regularly  at  home, 
and  they  are  right  in  a  great  measure  ;  these  cli- 
mates debilitate  us  only  too  soon.  But  in  Hong 
Kong  they  have  exceeded,  in  my  opinion,  what  is 
vv'cll,  and  have  built  a  city  of  palaces.  A  certain 
commercial  house,  for  instance,  has  expended  in 
the  construction  of  its  counting-rooms  150,000 
piasters    (ihc   piaster    is  worlh    here   six  francs 


*'»■■'■.{■'.&. 


^        -I 


'^ 


r 


].«' 


-41 


?40 


Alexis  Cierc, 


' ;:  .11 

■it' 

>*<■ 

In 

mr.. 

■^ 

*Hf 

r 

'I.K  - 

i^' 

:  ■ 

% 

ir^'' 

rtiKi 

.>*»■! 

W' 

^■: 

If*" 


«ll»pr,A« 


twenty.five  centimes).  It  will  require  an  immense 
business  to  cover  such  advances  and  the  general 
expenses  of  the  future.  Foreigners — English  and 
Americans,  with  scarcely  an  exception — are  en- 
gaged only  in  extensive  commercial  transactions, 
and  everything  else  is  done  by  the  Chinese.  But 
1  believe  that  these  last  are  the  white  ants  of  the 
city  and  that  they  will  undermine  it." 

What  strikes  him  more  than  all  the  rest  is  the 
superiority  of  the  Chinese  in  retail  trade  and 
little  tricks  of  trade.  **  The  grocers  of  Pans,  to 
whom  wicked  jesters  have  given  a  queer  reputa- 
tion, are  only  school-boys  compared  to  (hem.  The 
skill  of  the  Chinese  in  the  mechanical  arts  is  most 
remarkable  ;  it  is  astonishing  to  sec  how  cheap 
their  bamboo  work  is." 

But  his  judgment  of  them  as  a  whole  is  less 
favorable:  "  All  these  petty  qualities  do  not  con- 
stitute even  a  petly  virtue,  and,  in  short,  they  are 
a  miserable  people  who  never  have  been  and  never 
will  be  able  to  rise  from  artisans  to  artists  ;  who 
do  not  possess  and  never  will  possess  virtue,  mih- 
tary  or  civil  courage,  and  who  from  their  petty 
learning  will  never  attain  to  science  ;  who  live  in 
the  degradation  of  a  paganism  of  the  most  materi- 
al, the  narrowest,  and  the  most  foolish  sort,  while 
for  more  than  two  hundred  yearrs  Catholic  priests 
have  not  ceased  to  evangelize  them." 

To  this  rather  unflattering  portrait  Clerc  adds 
certain  less  disagreeable  features  in  the  following 
letter,  also  dated  from  Macao  (November  29,  1851): 

**  If  there  i3  an  extraordinary  spectacle  for  us,  who 


■•-I 


From  Loricnt  to  Shanghai. 


241 


ricsts 


adds 
>wing 
.851): 
L  who 


liusli  our  eagerness  for  adventure  and  our  tlirsfc 
for  novelty  to  tlio  horror  of  an}  thing  traditional, 
it  is  unquestionably  this  immovable  people,  who 
live  in  stupid  adoration  of  custom,  usage,  even 
when  they  feel  and  recognize  it  to  be  bad.  Politi- 
cally and  philosophically,  this  is  the  characteristic 
trait  of  the  Chinese  nation.  It  is  also  the  secret 
of  its  life,  and  it  cannot  be  gainsaid  that  China  is 
a  clear  demonstration  of  the  great  importance  of 
stability  in  institutions.  This  is  the  cause  of 
China's  conquest  of  all  her  conquerors.  For  cer- 
tain persons — to  whom  the  v/ord  country  signifies 
but  little  more  than  the  soil  they  tread,  and  who 
understand  country  as  something  independent  of 
the  glories  and  institutions  of  the  past — this  re- 
markable example  should  be  tlie  best:  proof  that  it 
is  precisely  hero  that  the  source  of  the  longevity  of 
nations  is  to  be  discovered." 

The  life  Clerc  led  at  Macao  was  not  at  all  idle  ; 
he  knew  how  to  find  occupation  everywhere,  and 
he  had  with  him  his  books,  his  dear  books,  his 
"Summa"  of  St.  Thomas,  St.  Bernard's  works  in 
Latin  ;  and  what  besides  ?  certainly  a  part  of  Bos- 
suet's  works — witness  a  blank-book  filled  with  his 
writing,  bearing  this  heading,  "  On  board  the 
Cassini/'  and  containing  a  very  full  analysis  of 
the  ''  Connaissance  de  Dieu  et  de  Soi-mome." 

"The  Cassini"  he  wrote,  "is,  since  my  last  let- 
tor,  anchored  off  Macao.  The  events  which  you 
want  me  to  note  for  you  are  consequently  of  very 
little  importance.  Ours  is  the  ordinary  life  on 
shipboard — exercises    of    all   sorts.     Howcvar,    I 


■  I 

♦at;;'.-    :. 
•»«:<»    ■'I'l, 

Sir, 


:J5Mll4k 


I 


n%,    1  ' 
•f°   ,j 


Alexis  Clerc. 


-*', 


n*m'. 


.11 


must  tell  you  that  I  have  a  p;rGn,fc  joy  which  I  hope 
you  will  share.  Jt  is  that  all  tlicso  labors  are  not 
sterile,  and  that  the  ship  begins,  and  justly,  to  be 
proud  of  herself.  8he  can  flutter  herself  that  no 
enemy  of  the  same  size  would  find  it  a  triflo  to  at- 
tack her.  I  say  this  the  more  willingly  because 
all  [the  word  is  underlined  by  Clerc  himself]  the 
honor  of  it  belongs  to  the  commander,  v/ho  is  the 
most  accomplished  of  chiefs." 

Like  a  good  Christian,  Commander  de  Plas  re- 
turned a  large  proportion  of  this  honor  to  his  lieu- 
tenant, Clerc.  AVe  aro  not  competent  to  decide 
this  question  between  them,  and  we  can  only  jDosi- 
tively  state  that  they  lived  in  perfect  harmony  of 
opinions  and  acts,  which  doubtless  had  a  great 
deal  to  do  with  the  very  satisfactory  result  whoso 
merit  each  generously  attributed  to  the  other. 

Clerc's  religious  zeal  found  ample  occupation  on 
board  of  a  ship  where  the  pevsoiind  was  admirably 
chosen,  but  where  there  were  several,  especially 
among  the  younger  officers  and  tlie  cadets,  wlio 
needed  to  be  strengthened  in  the  faith  and  gently 
drawn  to  practise  it.  Before  everything  else  our 
lieutenant  preached  by  example,  and  the  great 
charity  he  showed  toward  his  comrades  inspired 
them  with  a  regard  that  added  much  efficacy  to 
the  insinuations  of  his  zeal.  ''As  soon  as  wo  cast 
anchor  in  a  port,"  naval  officers  who  sailed  with 
him  relate,  *•  and  permission  to  go  on  shore  was 
given,  Mr.  Clerc  would  otTer  to  replace  the  officer 
on  imtcUy  so  as  to  leave  him  free  to  take  immediate 
advantage  of  a  privilege  so  dear  to  all  sailors.     And 


f 


From  Loricnt  to  Shanghai, 


243 


ion  on 

lirably 
ecially 
,  wlio 
gently 
se  onr 
great 
spired 
acv  to 
0  cast 
L  w'itii 
Bre  was 
ofticcr 
ediatc 
And 


"when  Mr.  Clerc  went  on  shore  himself,  if  we  fol- 
lowed him  at  a  little  distance  we  were  sure  to  sec 
him  enter  a  clinrch  directly,  for  his  first  yisit  was 
always  to  God."  * 

His  piety  was  abundantly  satisfied  during  his 
stay  at  Macao,  for  the  Lazarists  had  their  procura- 
torship  in  that  city,  and  the  Sisters  of  Charity  had 
been  established  there  for  some  time.  There  were 
also  two  Dominican  Fathers,  who  acted  as  procura- 
tors for  the  missions  of  their  order  in  Cochin 
China.  Alexis  was  not  slow  in  making  friends 
with  the  Spanish  and  French  missionaries.  Dur- 
ing a  second  sojourn  at  Macao,  the  Lazarists  being 
gone  to  Ning-po  (June,  1852),  he  formed  a  close 
intimacy  with  the  S])anish  Fathers  Ferrando  and 
Fuixa,  and  had  the  satisfaction  of  finding  in  them 
men  who  joined  rare  learning  to  solid  piety. 

One  of  those  religious.  Father  Ferrando,  was 
good  enough  to  come  on  board  the  Cassini  to  cele- 
brate Mass.  He  came  in  all  weathers,  and  even 
when  the  sea  was  very  rough.  Lieutenant  Clerc 
served  the  Ma?s  in  uniform,  after  having  made  the 
boat's  crew  which  he  commanded  file  around.  He 
preserved  this  custom  during  the  whole  cruise, 
even  when  there  were  among  tlie  passengers  Bro- 
thers of  the  Christian  Schools  quite  ready  to  re- 
place him,  an  employment  for  which  their  habit 
seemed  better  suited  than  his.  Speaking  of  this, 
the  commander  of  the  Cassini  adds  very  appropri- 
ately :  '^  The  bright  mind  and  the  boundless  chari- 

*  Testimony  gatliorod  by  Father  Tli<5bault  from  two  of- 
ficers ou  board  the  Erigone,  in  1855. 


tint:  IS  ;»,.!■. 

;i*l    iff. 


^1: 


Hi  ' 
"II:: 


■■.mi'  ' 


H 


rW( 


il'i  .i.s.- 


•■I  ! 

if 


■••*«ij«'  ^ 


I 


♦ft.'   ■. )  *. 


244 


Alexis  Clerc, 


ty  of  Alexis  Clerc,  who  was  always  anxious  to  oblige 
liis  comrades,  rendered  possible  to  him  what  in 
others  would  have  been  perhaps  the  occasion  of 
teasing,  if  not  of  quarrels  on  the  part  of  the  offi- 
cers. In  his  case  there  was  never  anything  of  the 
kind." 

Commander  de  Plas  may  easily  bo  suspected  of 
being  a  little  partial  to  his  beloved  lieutenant, 
therefore  we  will  invoke  the  testimony  of  a  much 
younger  man  who  was  then  a  simple  cadet  mid- 
shipman on  the  Cassiiii.  lu  early  youth  we  are 
very  observing  and  seldom  sin  through  excessive 
indulgence. 

"  As  soon  as  I  had  tho  opportunity  of  knowing 
Mr.  Clerc,"  this  last  witness  tells  us,  "I  saw  him 
just  as  he  was  during  the  entire  cruise  :  active  and 
vigilant  as  an  officer,  unalfccted  and  amiable  in  his 
intercourse  with  all,  master  of  himself,  faithful  in 
the  practice  of  his  leligious  duties,  and  this  without 
ostentation  as  well  as  without  human  respect. 
His  walk  had  tlien  contracted  something  of  his 
interior  dispositions  ;  ho  had  the  firm  step  of  a 
man  who  has  a  great  end  to  attain  and  a  long  road 
to  travel.  As  a  general  thing  his  eyes  were  mod- 
estly cast  down." 

AVhat  follows  anticipates  tho  sojourn  in  China, 
but  that  is  no  matter ;  what  we  are  searching  for 
now  is  the  man,  his  character,  the  harmony  be- 
tween his  sentiments  and  his  life  : 

**  While  we  were  cruising  about,  when,  on  our 
arrival  at  a  port^,  there  was  a  dinner  or  a  party 
given  to  us,  Mr.  Clerc  avoided  attending  as  far  as 


^ 


Ihiua, 
Lg  for 

tn  our 

parly 

I far  as 


From  Lorient  to  Shanghai. 


245 


was  in  his  power.  Still,  if  there  was  a  duty  to  be 
fulfilled  by  going  to  such  entertainments,  a  service 
to  render,  he  yielded  gracefully,  and  took  his  place 
in  society  with  that  gayety  and  amiability  which  did 
not  forsake  him  even  in  the  sad  captivity  of  Maaas. 
lie  rarely  wont  on  shore  for  amusement ;  he  wag 
most  frequently  in  his  cabin  working  and  reading. 
It  was  thus  he  made  a  trial  of  the  new  life  of  re- 
nunciation he  desired  to  embrace." 

These  lines  come  to  us  from  the  Chartreuse  of 

Eeposoir,  in  Savoy,  where  Mr.   S.  de  G ,  who 

sends  them,  is,  after  having  attained  the  rank  of 
lieutenant,  finishing  his  career  among  the  children 
of  St.  Bruno.  An  unusual  and  singular  coinci- 
dence !  Those  three  sailors,  of  different  ages  and 
rank,   Mr.    de  Plas,  commander  of  the    Cassini, 

Alexis  Clerc,  his  lieutenant,  and  Mr.  de  G , 

a  cadet  midshipman,  all  three  were  a  little  sooner 
or  later  to  put  off  the  liveries  of  the  world  and  con- 
secrate themselves  to  God  in  the  religious  state. 
Two  Jesuits  and  a  Carthusian  ! — not  bad  for  a 
&ingle  etat-major  !  Clerc  was  the  only  one  of  tlie 
three  who  at  that  time  was  nearly  decided  upon 
his  vocation.  He  found  himself,  as  is  plain  to  see, 
in  good  and  worthy  company  ;  and  he  was  not  de- 
ceived when,  before  embarking  on  the  Cassini,  ho 
told  whoever  wanted  to  know  that  he  was  going  to 
make  a  first  novitiate. 

Daring  more  than  a  year  the  Cassini  was  unable 
to  leave  Macao,  where  she  had  anchorage,  except 
to  return  for  long  stays  that  were  without  utility 
to  the  mission  she  had  received  when  departing 


Siwiti])! 


-«a' 


'*3' 


!^^ 


11, 

s 


246 


Alexis  Clerc. 


I 

I 


% 


t; 


from  France.  Tiiis  inaction,  so  contrary  to  all 
they  had  promised  themselves,  to  all  they  were 
still  resolved  to  do,  was  for  Commander  do  Plas 
and  his  generous  compinions  the  severest  of  trials. 
The  news  which  reached  them  from  the  interior, 
was  not  of  a  nature  to  calm  their  impatience. 
China,  they  could  not  doubt,  was  in  full  revolution, 
and  a  prey  to  all  the  evils  of  civil  war.  The  in- 
surgents, favored  by  a  certain  awakening  of  na- 
tional spirit,  not  only  held  the  imperial  troops  in 
check,  but  gained  ground  every  day,  and  menaced 
the  Tartar  dynasty  with  complete  ruin.  On  their 
side  the  imperialists  did  not  in  anywise  respect  the 
guarantees  made  so  many  times  in  favor  of  the 
Christians,  and  wc  had  every  reason  to  demand  of 
them  an  account  of  the  grave  and  recent  infrac- 
tions of  the  late  treaties.  Whatever  might  be  the 
issue  of  the  struggle,  France,  whose  part  is  to  pro- 
tect moral  interests  espeeuilly.  might  be  the  arbiter 
of  the  situation.  "What  England  had  done  a  few 
years  before  m  the  interest  of  her  commerce — the 
immoral  commerce  of  opium — could  not  a  great 
Catholic  nation  do  with  a  hundred  times  more 
honor  for  her  missionaries  and  their  neophytes  ? 
If  we  avoided  interfering  in  the  internal  politics 
of  the  Celestial  Empire,  there  remained  for  us  to 
fulfil  a  duty  of  humanity  compatible  with  the 
strictest  neutrality,  and  nobody  in  the  world  could 
prevent  us  from  acting  as  the  police  of  the  coast 
where  all  the  scum  of  the  neighboring  provinces 
gathered,  and  where,  amid  the  pitiful  confusion  of 
the  local  authorities,  there  prevailed  an  unrestrained 


From  Loricnt  to  Shaiip/mi. 


247 


brigandage  wliicli  was  free  to  commit  all  kinds  of 
outrages  with  impunity. 

To  command  a  ship  of  war  armed  with  good 
guns,  to  be  able  to  land  excellent  troops  the  mere 
sight  of  whom  would  put  to  flight  the  evil-doers, 
and  with  all  that  to  be,  by  orders,  reduced  to  im- 
mobility— it  must  be  confessed  that  for  French 
sailors  whose  hearts  were  in  the  right  place  this 
was  a  cruel  mischance. 

The  commander  of  the  Cassini  could  do  noth- 
ing, for  so  long  as  he  was  in  the  waters  of  Macao 
all  his  movements  depended  on  the  commander  of 
the  station,  his  superior  officer.  Had  this  last  full 
liberty  of  action,  and  did  his  instructions  leave 
him  with  hands  untiad  ?  We  are  unable  to  say. 
Let  ns  in  passing  note  only  this  one  thing :  Too 
often  our  brave  sailors,  after  having  hastened  to 
take  an  energetic  part  dictated  by  honor  and  duty, 
have  been  poorly  rewarded  for  their  zeal,  and  the 
government  has  not  always  spared  them  the  most 
painful  disavowals.  What  is  there  astonishing  in 
their  declining,  when  the  opportunity  offers,  a  re- 
sponsibility always  burdensome,  and  which  is  not 
witlioiit  dan^rer  ?  And  then — another  cause  of 
weakness — our  porpitual  revolutions,  o«r  sudden 
changes  of  governments  and  ministries,  is  the 
thing  of  all  others  the  best  adapted  to  disconcert 
those  who  have  the  honor  of  representing  France, 
and  managing  her  interests  a-t  some  thousands  ot 
h  agues' distance  from  Paris.  Only  just  now,  as 
wo  have  seen,  Alexis  Clerc  was  greatly  embarrassed 
in  presence  of  the  Sultan  ot  Acheen,  who  showed 


•»  *■, )  1,.,. 

rv..,  ,.,. 

if  I  J* 


"^: 


^ii 


■inn 

i 
,1 


248 


Alexis  ClerC. 


w«iltifc>  « 


!  r 

ll 

1 

i  ■ 

W-  ■:-!■ 

' 

him  a  treaty  of  alliance  bearing  the  signature  of 
King  Louis  Philippe,  and  he  was  careful  not  to  in- 
form that  Asiatic  monarch  that  Louis  Philippe, 
discJiarged  as  peoiiilG  discharge  a  servant,  had  died 
iu  exile,  leaving  behind  him  the  republic.  Ah  ! 
well,  from  small  to  great,  it  is  always  the  same 
thing  every  time  we  gratify  our  taste  for  revolu- 
tions, and  the  Cassini  experienced  it  once  more 
during  her  long  anchorage  at  Macao  ;  for  the  re- 
public of  1848,  vanquished  in  its  turn,  gave  place 
to  the  empire  prepared  by  the  cotip  d^ctat  of  De- 
cember 2.  To  men  who  had  received  their  mission 
from  a  ministry  that  was  serious  and  honest  after 
all,  and  to  which  the  noble  Admiral  Remain  Des- 
fosses  belonged,  the  news  of  what  had  taken  place 
in  Paris  had  in  it  nothing  encouraging,  and  the 
first  impression  it  produced  must  have  been  most 
painful.  Here  is  one  example  among  many  others  : 
In  Canton  and  Shanghai  great  hopes  had  been 
founded  upon  the  action  of  an  experienced  diplo- 
mat, ]\Ir.  de  Bourboulon,  who  was  charged  with 
exacting  the  observance  of  the  treaties  agreed  upon 
between  Prance  and  China,  and  very  probably 
with  obtaining  something  more.  But  at  the  an- 
nouncement of  the  coup  d'etat  this  high  function- 
ary expressed  himself  in  such  terms  that  every- 
body considered  his  recall  as  certain.  Fortunate- 
ly, when  the  situation  was  made  clear,  matters  all 
turned  out  for  the  best ;  Mr.  do  Bourboulon  re- 
mained at  his  post,  and  received  with  the  title  of 
minister  plenipotentiary  new  powers  which  he  un- 
derstood making  an  excellent  use  of.     But  French 


re  of 
toin- 

ippc, 
died 

Ah  I 
same 
jvolu- 
more 
le  re- 
place 
)f  De- 
lission 
:  after 
1  Des- 
1  place 
nd  tlic 
1  mosfc 
)thers  : 
been 
diplo- 
d  witli 
dupon 
:obably 
;be  an- 
nction- 
every- 


From  Loricnt  to  Shanghai. 


249 


diplomacy    had    not    the    less    been    completely 
paralyzed  for  a  time. 

Alexis'  first  letter  after  the  news  of  the  coup 
cVHat  bears  the  date  of  February  2,  1852.  Tliis  is 
Avhat  he  says  on  the  subject  : 

"We  heard  of  the  coiq)  d'etat  of  the  president  of 
the  republic  only  through  the  forciga  journals, 
which  seemed  to  us  very  poorly  informed,  probably 
en  account  of  the  suppression  of  the  Parisian  jour- 
nals. No  letter  or  paper  has  reached  us.  All  our 
packages  await  us  at  our  central  station,  Macao, 
and  we  shall  go  for  them  immediately. 

"  I  would  not  have  liked  to  belong  to  the  army 
of  Paris  during  that  audacious  usurpation.  As  to 
the  universal  suffrage  which  follows  to  absolve  such 
pretensions,  I  have  not  waited  until  now  to  decide 
that  it  is  a  miserable  criterion  of  right ;  neverthe- 
less, we  must  undoubtedly  stand  by  it  if  the  great 
majority  pf  voters  take  part  in  it.  In  the  chaos 
and  anarchy  in  which  we  are  tossed  about,  this 
suffrage  seems  to  me,  in  so  far  as  it  does  not  attack 
the  divine  law,  the  single  point,  not  of  right  but 
of  fact,  which  can  indicate  wherein  resides  the  go- 
vernment of  France.  But  all  this,  like  the  govern- 
ment of  February,  whence  the  republic  issued,  is,  in 
my  opinion,  of  the  nature  of  governments  of  expedi- 
ency which  we  should  obey  for  what  they  are  worth — 
I  mean  so  long  as  there  is  nothing  better;  yet,  withal, 
I  do  not  acknowledge  to  myself  the  right  of  dis- 
obedience or  the  duty  of  quitting  the  service  un- 
less their  acts  force  one  to  it.  I  should  therefore 
remain  in  the  service,  even  if  I  were  in  Franco 


n 


*'  -Ir  llf 

'I     Ji 

■■  ■•■-.If 


^f 


.Mr 


4 


t'  ! 


r 


Ji 


A' mil 

If 


- 


^ill! 


!i 


250 


Alexis  Clcrc, 


where  my  resignation  woultl  bo  possible,  instead  of 
being  here  where  it  is  nof.  But  I  shall  not  take 
any  outli  of  fidelity  to  this  new  personage. 

**  Jules'  habit  of  spending  the  month  of  Decem- 
ber in  Germany  allows  me  to  hope  until  I  hear 
that  you  arc  both  safe  and  sound. 

**1  do  not  gl^e  mucli  credit  to  the  accounts  wo 
get,  and  they  are  too  briet  lor  us  to  judge  much 
from  them  ;  but,  from  what  they  say,  I  am  quite 
puzzled  to  know  with  what  men  the  president  will 
govern. 

*•  It  is  my  idea  that  this  prince  will  be  the  heir  of 
the  policy  of  his  uncle,  and  that  then  destinies 
will  bo  very  similar  ;  the  first  was  the  reaction 
against  the  Jacobins,  this  one  is  selected  to  combat 
the  socialists.  There  is  still  a  fine  rok  for  him  to 
play.  1  have  not  the  confidence  that  he  possesses 
either  the  will  or  the  force  to  fill  it.'*  This  was 
looking  far  ahead  and  seeing  surely.  U  nfortunately 
audi  clairvoyance  was  not  common.  France,  thirst- 
ing for  authority,  did  not  limit  her  confidence  in  a 
prince  whose  past  was  anything  but  reassuring ; 
a  theorist  as  bold  as  he  was  deep,  always  ready  to 
recommence  his  life  of  adventure  by  risking,  now 
not  only  his  liberty  or  his  head,  but  the  fortune, 
even  the  existence,  of  the  country  that  had  taken 
him  for  its  ruler,  and  hailed  him  as  a  providential 
man ! 

A  letter  of  March  2T  contains  tho  following 
lines :  ■  '    ■ 

'*  My  Dear  Father  :  "We  are  goin^ij  to  Macao 
to  take  advantage  of  the  departure  of  the  express. 


From  Loricnt  to  SJiangJiai. 


251 


My  last  letter  ia  from  Catavia.  While  there  wo  rc- 
ceived  news  from  Europe  up  to  December  2C,  and 
heard  about  tho  kind  of  consent  whicii  universal 
suffrage  has  given  as  a  sanction  to  the  coxq)  cVctat 
of  tlio  president.  The  foreigners  we  have  since 
met  all  have  the  air  of  believing  that  it  is  an  im- 
provement in  our  condition.  For  us  there  will 
bo,  even  if  we  derive  profit  from  it,  a  sort  of 
shame  in  being  fallen  so  low  that  it  did  not  need  a 
Ca)3ur  of  nobler  alloy  to  conquer  us.'' 

And  a  letter  of  April  13  :  *'  You  s])eak  sorrow- 
fully of  the  presidential  proscri])Lions.  Without 
much  pitying  the  pretended  victims,  I  deplore  that 
severity  dictated  by  the  seven  million  five  hundred 
thousand  votes.  But  I  am  disgusted  with  the  kind 
of  spurring  on  certain  newspapers  give  it.  There 
is  no  longer  necessity  of  exciting  tlie  governing 
power  to  rigor ;  it  is  sufliciently  armed  not  to  need 
the  feeble  support  of  the  voice  of  a  journalist." 

A  reflection  slipped  into  the  following  letter  is 
not  without  value,  at  least  as  an  argument  ad 
liomincm  :  ''I  see  by  your  letters  tliat  you  deeply 
regret  the  republican  government.  Wiiile  reserv- 
ing my  personal  opinion,  which  is  of  no  weight  in 
the  matter,  it  seems  to  me  that  tiie  basis  of  repub- 
licanism is  universal  suffrage,  and  that  the  most 
intense  republicans  are  the  ones  who,  after  the  re- 
peated votes  of  December  and  the  eiectiona  to  tlie 
Legislative  Assembly,  should  most  thoroughly  re- 
gard the  new  government  as  legitimate." 

When  he  wrote  these  lines  Clerc  had  just  return- 
ed from  a  voyage  to  Manilla,  enchantcii  with  all  ^le 


I 


■  fiC 

1 

,1^ 

11 

f. 

» ' 

\ 

252 


Alexis  Clerc. 


^^liH 

F 

K\ 

U 

>•.  (*.  ";■> 

*'  '■■  ft; 

*•«.:•■.        [     '!( 

»•*  ■■  '  «i 

r  ■  ;ui 

€'■:    ^^V 

C   ' 

1 

w 


li 


had  seen,  and  in  particular  with  a  colonial  govern- 
ment which  was  not  the  less  civilizing  for  being  not 
in  the  least  republican. 

"  It  is,  I  think,  the  model  of  all  colonies  estab- 
lished or  to  be  established.  The  Spaniards  have 
infused  into  the  Tagals  their  dominant  qualities, 
attachment  to  the  faith  and  the  military  spirit. 
If  we  did  not  see  the  rather  dark  color  of  their 
skin,  we  might,  from  the  manoeuvres  of  the  troops 
and  their  firm  tread,  suppose  we  were  looking  at 
European  soldiers.  Their  bravery  has  been  often 
tested,  and  has  never  failed  when  they  have  been 
under  the  command  of  Spanish  officers.  By  a  co- 
incidence which  may  appear  singular,  the  Spaniards 
have  found  Mussulmans  for  their  enemies  here,  and 
they  fight  against  the  Moros  just  as  they  did  in 
their  own  countrv  under  tiie  famous  Isabella." 
The  Moros  in  question  are  only  the  Malays  of  the 
Soloo  (or  Solo,  as  the  Spaniards  call  them)  Islands, 
brigands  of  the  sea,  who  practise  piracy  along  all 
the  coasts  and  carry  whole  populations  into  cap- 
tivity. In  the  last  expedition  of  the  Philippines 
against  these  corsairs  the  regular  troops  were 
joined  by  volunteers  recruited,  instructed,  drilled, 
headed,  and  commanded  by  their  parish  priest, 
Father  Hanez,  of  the  Augustinians.  *'  They 
manned  a  fleet,"  Clerc  relates,  "which  at  San 
Jose  was  united  with  that  of  General  TJrbiztondo. 
I  can  easily  imagine  the  joy  this  reunion  must  have 
produced,  and  the  confidenee  the  general  must 
have  felt  in  the  execution  of  a  project  in  which  the 
people  so  heartily  co-operated.      This   little  cru- 


ern- 
y  not 


stab- 

haye 

ities, 

pirit. 

tlieir 

roops 

Qg  at 

often 
been 

J  a  co- 

niards 

e,  and 

did  in 

bella." 

of  tbe 
ands, 

Dng  all 

0  cap- 
ipines 
were 
rilled, 

priest, 
They 
San 
tondo. 
st  have 
1  must 
icb  tbe 
:1c  crii- 


',i 


it 


From  Lorient  to  SJian9:hai, 

o 


253 


sade,  thanks  to  the  simplicity  of  the  crusaders — 
who  had  no  suspicion  of  the  beautiful  title  I  give 
them  and  whicb  they  deserve — and  to  the  watch- 
ful care  of  their  pastor,  o:Sercd  a  model  of  a  Chris- 
tian army.  They  performed  all  their  religious 
duties  as  though  they  were  at  home.  When  the 
day  of  [action  came.  Father  Hancz,  who  always 
commanded  them,  led  them  to  the  assault  to- 
gether with  Mr.  Garnior  (a  French  officer  of  rare 
merit) ;  he  received  a  mortal  wound,  and  expired 
shortly  afterwards." 

At  last,  after  long  waiting,  Clerc  is  to  be  re- 
lieved of  the  burden  of  his  uselessness.  Tlie 
Cassini  is  to  go  to  Shanghai  in  company  with  the 
Capricieuse,  a  sailing  corvette,  to  which  she  will 
serve  as  a  tow-boat.  On  board  the  Capricleuse, 
commanded  by  Mr.  de  Rocquemaurel,  the  com- 
mander of  the  station,  is  installed  the  Frencli  le- 
gation, composed  of  the  minister,  his  wife,  his 
secretary,  and  an  interpreter.  As  to  the  Cassini, 
she  carries  the  procurator  of  the  Lazarists  and  ten 
Sisters  of  Charity,  a  pious  colony  to  be  landed  at 
Ning-po.  Thus  the  horizon  is  brightened  and  a 
quiet  joy  reigns  on  board;  we  notice  the  reflec- 
tion of  it  in  the  following  letter:  "This  voyage 
has,  on  account  of  the  charm  of  the  amiable  vir- 
tues of  our  passengers,  been  the  most  agreeable  we 
have  made.  That  perfume  of  holiness  which  the 
religious  communities  so  carefully  preserve,  and 
which  the  world  knows  nothing  of,  was  offered  to 
us,  and  nothing  is  so  sweet  and  touching  as  that 
entire  and  simple  devoted ness  of  the  Daughters  of 


it'tD 


1^3 


■4l- 


iljCT.vjfSl ' 


'•ik 


":^ 
f 


254 


Alexis  Cierc. 


fi 


If! 


i;  r- 


% 


■<*P  f  lit! 


fllii 


Charity.  That  absence  of  all  little  feminine  diplo- 
macy, that  desire  to  be  employed  for  the  sake  of 
rendering  service  and  not  for  the  sake  of  appearing 
useful,  that  gayety  so  gentle  and  so  uniform — these 
are  tlie  qualities  which  made  their  society  a  plea- 
sure for  each  of  us.  As  for  their  deep  piety,  their 
enlightened  devotion,  it  does  not  belong  to  me  to 
praise  it;  it  is,  however,  the  secret  of  all  their 
other  qualities,  the  source  wlience  flow  those  lim- 
pid waters,  and,  more  exactly,  the  tap  root  which 
nourishes  those  fertile  branches." 

Clerc  himself  satisfies  here  "  that  desire  of  being 
employed  for  the  sake  of  rendering  service  and  not 
for  the  sake  of  appearing  useful,"  which  he  ad- 
mired in  the  Daughters  of  Charity.  He  does  not 
tell  us,  and  for  a  good  reason,  how  their  landing 
was  effected.  But  the  commander  of  the  Cassinif 
who  has  not  the  same  reason  for  keeping  silence, 
gives  us  a  detailed  account:  '' Alexis  Clerc  ren- 
dered immense  services  to  the  commander  of  the 
Cassini  throughout  the  cruise.  I  vv^ill  only  men- 
tion some  of  the  most  striking.  In  June,  1852, 
the  Cassini  received  on  board  the  Rev.  Father 
Guillet,  Lazarist  and  superior  of  the  Sisters  of 
Charity,  as  well  as  ten  sisters  destined  for  Ning-po. 
The  vessel  had  no  accommodations  for  so  many 
lady  passengers,  but,  thanks  to  the  simplicity  of  the 
good  sisters  and  to  the  very  proper  courtesy  of  the 
officers,  everything  passed  off  as  well  as  possible, 
and  the  Cassini  was  able  to  discharge  her  precious 
freight  at  Ning-po.  It  was  not  easy  to  land  Euro- 
pean   women   in   a    large  and   thickly-populated 


From  Loricnt  to  Shanghai. 


255 


city.*  A  sort  of  uprising  might  even  be  feared 
Tvlien  the  authorities  and  the  population  should 
learn  that  these  women  were  religious.  It  was 
therefore  decided  that  tliey  should  be  taken  on 
shore  at  night  in  an  unfrequented  neighborhood, 
where  sedan-chairs  could  immediately  conceal  them 
from  the  gaze  of  the  curious.  Alexis  Clerc  under- 
took the  operation,  and  was  seconded  by  Mr.  Joy- 
ant  de  Couesnongle,  his  friend,  the  atlministrativo 
officer.  It  was  a  perfect  success.  The  rainy 
weather  was  even  a  favorable  circumstance,  and 
towards  ten  o'clock  in  the  evening  the  sisters  were 
installed  in  the  house  prepared  for  them." 

After  a  rough  iiassage  the  Cassini  reaches 
Shanghai.  Alexis  announces  this  good  news  to 
his  father:  "We  arrived  on  the  28th  (of  June)  at 
Shanghai,  the  furthest  north  of  the  ports  open  to 
Europeans,  and  the  one  through  which  China  will 
probably  be  the  most  encroached  upon  by  Europe. 
The  commercial  importance  of  this  place,  already 
very  great,  is  on  an  increase  the  ultimate  limit 
of  which  it  is  impossible  to  foresee.  The  city  of 
Shanghai  is  of  the  second  class ;  it  is  situated 
on  the  Wam-pou,  a  branch  of  the  Yang-(se-kiang. 
The  surrounding  country  is  perfectly  flat,  and  the 
land  is  formed  of  the  alluvia  of  the  river.  From 
the  top  of  a  pagoda  nine  stories  in  height  and 
about  six  miles  distant  from  Shanghai,  some  em- 
bankments that  serve  as  a  promenade  for  the  Eng- 
lish are   to  be  seen.     These  vast  plains  are  fur- 

*  The  population  of  Ning-po,  or  rather  Ning-po-fou  (for  it  is 
a  first  class  city),  numbers  Ave  hundred  thousand  souls. 


2^6 


Alexis  Clerc. 


'r.    I» 


icr 


W\ 


rowed  with  an  infinite  number  of  canals.  The 
canals  are  the  railroads  of  China  ;  in  Europe  we 
have  no  idea  of  the  profusion  with  wliich  they  arc 
scattered  about  ;  they  are  of  great  use  as  means  of 
irrigation.  The  fields  are  well  cultivateJ,and  there 
is  no  waste  land  excepting  what  is  occupied  by  the 
tombs." 

This  is  all  ;  of  tlio  Jesuit  mission  not  a  word. 
Alexis  has  his  reasons,  doubtless,  for  not  leading  his 
father  prematurely  upon  that  dangerous  ground  ; 
for  already  he  must  have  a  presentiment  that  his 
sojourn  in  that  mission,  the  happy  and  blessed  term 
of  BO  long  a  voyage,  will  not  be  without  result  tor 
the  great  affair  of  his  vocation. 


i! 


ill 


i 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

A  CONVERSION  ON  BOARD  THE   "  CASSINI." 

BuRiXG  licr  long  cruise  in  tlie  China  seas  the 
Cassuii,  always  having  her  central  station  at  Ma- 
cao, was  destined  to  anchor  three  times  in  the  har- 
bor of  Shanghai:  in  June,  1852,  in  March,  1853, 
and,  finally,  .a  last  time  in  the  month  of  Septem- 
ber of  the  same  year.  lb  was  on  these  several  oc- 
casions that  she  had  it  in  her  power  to  offer  effec- 
tual protection  to  the  European  establishments, 
and  especially  to  the  Frencli  mission,  which  was 
between  the  fire  of  the  two  armies.  The  inter- 
esting episode  that  will  form  the  subject  of  the 
present  chapter  belongs  to  the  second  of  these 
voyages  to  Shanghai. 

Clerc,  with  his  attractive  qualities  and  his  burn- 
ing zeal,  was  everywhere  a  great  converter ;  we 
know  already  that  he  proved  himself  such  at  Lo- 
rient  and  Brest,  as  well  as  at  Indret.  But  on 
board  the  Cassiui,  in  a  select  assembly  of  officers 
and  cadets,  the  opportunity  of  doing  good  to  souls 
was,  so  to  speak,  daily  and  continual  ;  to  seize 
it  on  the  wing  without  making  himself  an  annoy- 
ance, to  await  the  moment  of  grace  for  months 
and  even  years  (in  doing  which  he  was  favored  by 
the  length  of  the  expedition)— such  was  the  line 

257 


4. 


re* 


.3    . 

V 

1'^ 

258 


Alexis  Clerc. 


% 


«. 

* 

"% 

H 

% 

«' 

« 

"1; 

< 

•'> 

''Mt 

*    i;* 

i«r 

•■•, 

f.i»' 


iil 
if 


iii'!|; 


of  conduct  he  followed,  not  without  success.  I 
find  a  first  evidence  of  this  in  the  letter  sent  to 
me  from  the  Chartreuse  of  Kcposoir,  from  whicli 
I  liave  already  quoted.  Attached  to  the  expedi- 
tion as  a  passed  midshipman,  young  Mr.  do  G , 

who  had  received  a  finished  education,  was  not  very 
far  from  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  though  he  had 
for  some  time  neglected  the  practice  of  his  reli- 
gion, even  though  his  faith  was  darlcened,  he  was 
fortunately  neither  an  infidel  nor  a  sceptic.  But, 
like  the  paralytic  of  the  Gospel,  incapable  of  rous- 
ing himself  from  a  fatal  torpor,  he  awaited  a 
man — a  man  who  would  reach  out  his  hand  to 
plunge  him  in  the  pool.  Clerc  was  that  providen- 
tial man,  and  Mr.  de  G ,  now  a  Carthusian, 

feels  towards  him  an  eternal  gratitude. 

*^I  must,"  he  writes  us,  "relate  here  a  circum- 
stance which  gratitude  will  never  allow  me  to  for- 
get, and  explain  to  you  how  Providence  made  use 
of  Mr.  Clerc  to  bring  me  back  to  the  path  of  sal- 
yation.  For  about  three  years  I  had  not  ap- 
proached the  sacraments,  notwithstanding  the 
good  examples  I  had  before  me.  I  had  even  eluded 
several  attempts  made  by  a  missionary  father  to 
speak  to  me  on  the  subject.  Mr.  Clerc,  under- 
standing how  dangerous  my  position  was  at  that 
age  when  men  too  often  forsake  the  good  to 
blindly  follow  evil,  and  knowing  besides  that  my 
education  had  been  most  Christian,  one  day 
frankly  accosted  me  and  in  a  few  words  broached 
the  subject.  He  had  been  walking  the  deck  with 
me  for  a  little  while,  when  he  said,  with  the  smile 


A  Conversion  on  board  the  "  Cassini^     259 


that  enlivened  liis  most  serious  convcrjations  : 
*Now,  toll  mo  how  it  happens  that  you  no  longer 
practise  your  religion  ?  With  the  education  you 
have  received  and  the  faitli  you  certainly  possess, 
I  cannot  really  see  what  restrains  you.'  As  1  ob- 
served to  him  that  I  had  doubts  (a  con?cqucnc% 
probably,  of  all  that  rubbish  of  b;id  reading  which 
people  of  the  world  indulge  in  without  scru[)le  and 
without  remorse),  he  asked  quickly  :  *  Is  it  honest- 
ly that?'  *Yes,'  I  replied.  'If  that  is  all,' he 
returned,  *  why  did  you  not  tell  me  before  ?  I  will 
give  you  something  to  enlighten  you.'  And  he  did 
give  me  the  'Etudes  Philosophiques' of  xVuguste 
Nicolas,  which  I  read  attentively.  As  soon  as  I 
came  to  the  advice  to  pray,  I  prayed,  and  the  veil 
foil.  How  much  of  that  grace  I  certainly  owe  to 
the  prayers  of  Mr.  Clorc  !  May  God  give  him  his 
reward  !  Some  days  later  I  returned  to  the  good 
path,  which  after  fifteen  years  led  me  to  the  shel- 
ter of  the  cloister." 

This  is  very  simple,  is  it  not  ?  But  it  is  a  great 
thing  in  the  order  of  salvation.  All  of  us  who 
have  faith,  and  who  imagine  thut  we  love  our 
neighbor  as  ourselves,  how  many  similar  occasions 
do  we  not  permit  to  escape  us  through  want  of 
watching  for  the  moments  of  grace,  but  especially 
through  want  of  appreciating  the  value  of  a  soul  I 

All  Clerc's  conversions  were  not  so  easy,  even 
among  those  midshipmen  of  whom  the  greater 
number,  though  not  all,  had  been  reared  by  Chris- 
tian parents  and  masters.  With  such  and  such 
ones  a  first  overture  was  a  very  hazardous  thing. 


iWn 


,  1' 

..."■■ '  •!       i    ;1 


t 


■  i 


26o 


Alexis  Clcrc. 


\\ 

::-* 

if 

>>« 

'     j"' 

ittr 

i«.i> 

■  '"l,. 

I- 

i 
,      I 

i^ 

:;*'i 

I 


and,  the  ice  onco  broken,  care  liacl  to  be  taken  not 
to  press  tlie  reluctant  soul  too  closely  or  bring 
about  a  hand-to-Land  sfruirglG.  Too  frequently 
the  zeal  of  the  priest,  of  the  missionary,  failed 
completely.  In  his  capacity  of  officer  Clcrc  had  a 
readier  access  to  the  midshipmen,  and  his  regular 
duties  offered  him  precious  opportunities.  And 
licrein  is  on(3  of  the  great  secrets  of  the  apostolate  ; 
nothing  makes  us  understand  it  better  than  the 
example,  at  cnce  so  sweet  and  so  powerful,  of  our 
Lord  announcing  the  kingdom  of  God  in  the  ci  ics 
and  towns  of  Judea,  See  him  at  the  well  of  Jacob 
manifesting  himself  to  the  Samaritan  woman,  and 
kindling  in  the  heart  of  a  poor  sinner  the  thirst 
for  that  living  water  that  spiingeth  up  into  life 
everlasting.  As  he  journeyed  from  place  to  place, 
how  many  times  did  he  not  in  the  same  way  gather 
up  and  bring  back  to  the  fold  the  w.ndering  sheep 
of  the  house  of  Israel  ! 

It  was,  then,  on  t'hc  deck  of  the  vessel  where 
Clerc  was  on  watch  with  another  midshipman — 
thia  one  a  person  who  had  gone  far  astray — that 
the  serious  conversation  took  place  at  the  con- 
clusion of  whicli  the  young  man  admitted  himself 
conquered  and  laid  down  his  arms.  Let  us  leave 
him  to  relate  in  all  sincerity  his  own  history,  from 
the  period  of  his  fatal  obduracy  to  the  hour,  for 
ever  blessed,  when  the  grace  against  which  he  was 
struggling  triumphed  over  his  long  resistance. 

THE   midshipman's   STORY. 

**  I  was  not  so  fortunate  as  to  be  brought  up  to 


A  Conversion  on  board  the  '*  Cassiniy     261 


%■■ 


^  not 

bring 

cntly 

failed 

liad  a 

'gular 

And 
olato  ; 
m  tlio 
)f  our 
1  ci  ics 

Jacob 
n,  and 

thirst 
to  life 

place, 

gather 
sheep 

where 
)man — 
— that 
e  con- 
limseU 
IS  leave 
from 
)ur,  for 
he  was 
ce. 


respect  tho  holy  Catholic  religion  ;  still,  I  gained 
at  college  the  first  notions  of  it,  and  it  was  with  a 
fervor  which  was  more  lively  and  sincere  than  dura- 
hlc  that  at  the  aj^c  of  twelve  and  a  half  I  received 
Holy  Communion  for  the  first  time.  That  first 
time  was  to  bo  the  last,  at  least  for  a  long  while. 

**Bytho  Easter  which  followed  my  first  Com- 
munion I  was  already  deeply  infected  with  human 
respect,  and  if  I  approached  the  holy  table  once 
during  that  paschal  season,  it  was  at  the  invitation 
of  the  sisters  of  the  infirmary  whereat  the  moment 
I  happened  to  be  confined,  and  doubtless  the  God 
of  love  no  longer  found  in  my  heart  anything  but 
a  pitiful  little  flame  already  too  nearly  burned  out 
to  bo  brightened  by  his  presence. 

"From  that  day  the  shadows  grew  thicker  and 
thicker  about  my  soul,  and  from  at  first  blushing 
for  a  moment  of  simple,  unafi'ccted  piety  1  L^oon 
came  to  take  a  miserable  pride  in  proclaiming  my 
impiety  by  my  acts  as  well  as  by  my  words. 

**  I  passed  from  the  college  to  a  preparatory 
school,  then  to  the  naval  academy.  Finally,  at 
nineteen,  I  joined  the  sea  as  a  midshipman.  God, 
whose  mercy  and  wisdom  are  unfathomable,  had 
doubtless  in  some  sort  prepared  my  salvation  be- 
fore I  had  begun  to  throw  myself  away  ;  for,  from 
the  age  of  seven  years,  I  had,  without  any  apparent 
reason,  declared  my  intention  of  being  a  sailor. 

"  At  the  naval  academy  I  had  dreamed  about 
making  my  first  voyage  to  the  coasts  of  China,  and 
it  was  at  my  request  and  to  satisfy  this  desire  that 
I,  aa  open  contemner  of  holy  things,  was  appointed 


"•••'-Hi, 


'1  ' 


[■»■■ 

r 


'I!  Inn 


»  ijif « 


262 


A /ex is  Clerc. 


I 


■■*i 


*  /'I', 


ir"! 


il!  t 


I 


to  the  Cas.nniy  commanded  by  Mr.  de  Plas,  and 
numbering  among  its  officers  Mr.  Clerc,  the  lieu- 
tenant  commander,    and  among  its  middies    my 

companions  of  the  naval  school,  de  G ,  now  a 

Carthusian.  I  was  still  a  furious  wolf,  and  yet  the 
Lord  let  mo  into  his  fold. 

"  Besides  do  G ,  two  or  three  of  our  mutual 

companions  were,  if  not  like  him,  (irmly  grounded 
in  the  faith,  at  least  regular  observers  of  the  essen- 
tial duties  of  religion.  This  was  to  me  a  reason 
for  proclaiming  my  impiety  louder  and  more 
boastiugly  still.  Nothing  but  cynical  jests,  ob- 
scene speeches,  horrible  blasphemies  issued  con- 
stantly from  my  lips. 

*'  Our  vessel  was  carrying  to  the  island  of  La 
Reunion  Mgr.  Dcsprez,  the  newly-appointcd  bishop 
of  that  island,  with  several  priests  and  religious ; 
we  also  had  on  board  bound  for  China  Mi^jr.  Ve- 
rolles.  Bishop  of  Mantchooria,  as  well  as  several 
priests  of  the  Foreign  Missions. 

"  The  presence  of  these  persons  consecrated  to 
God  irritated  my  anti-religious  humor. 

'*  We  were  at  sea  on  the  feast  of  E  ister.  Alone 
of  all  the  ship's  company  I  abstained  from  being 
present  at  the  Mass,  which  was  celebrated  with 
great  solemnity,  and  I  was  very  proud  to  see  my- 
self the  only  one  among  so  many  wholly  exempt 
fj'om  foolish  prejudices  and  courageously  ijidejjen- 
dent. 

*' There  remained  in  my  heart  only  a  certain 
sympathy  for  the  sisters,  probably  merely  because 
they  were  women,  and  Almighty  God  was  under 


A  Conversion  on  board  the  *'  dtssint."     263 


and 

lieu- 
i  my 
low  a 
)t  the 

lutual 
anded 
esscn- 
rcason 
more 
ts,  ob- 
d  cou- 

of  La 

bishop 

igious ; 

151*.  Ve- 

several 

ated  to 

Alone 
a  being 
d  with 
see  my- 

exempt 
ndejjen- 


no  obligation  to  allow  mc  credit  for  a  sentiment  of 
wliicli  ho  was  not  the  obj'jct.  Nevertheless,  it 
seems  as  though  divine  mercy  gave  itself  that  2^^'^^- 
tcxt  for  doing  gentle  violence  to  my  rebellious  soul, 

*'  When  we  were  in  the  China  Sea  we  had  on  board 
for  several  days  some  Sisters  of  St.  Viiicent  do 
Paul,  who  had  left  Macao  to  establish  tiiemselves 
at  Ning-po.  One  day,  having  had  occasion  to  land 
at  the  same  time  with  them  on  one  of  the  islands 
of  the  coast,  I  gathered  some  ilowers  to  offer  them. 
I  have  since  been  told  that  those  good  and  holy 
women  began  from  that  hour  to  pray  for  me  par- 
ticularly. 

"It  was  two  years  since  our  dci3arture  from 
France  wlien  we  had  some  reason  for  spending  a 
certain  time  in  the  waters  of  Canton.  Comman- 
der de  Plas,  who  had  had  a  chapel  fitted  up  on 
board  and  never  allowed  it  to  lack  a  chaplain,  se- 
cured the  services  of  the  Abbe  Girard,  a  priest  be- 
longing to  the  Foreign  Missions,  who  has  since 
died  in  Japan,  and  who  was,  at  the  time  of  which  I 
write,  living  in  a  floating  house  on  the  river. 

"  Abbe  Girard,  whose  heart  was  devoured  with 
zoLil  for  the  salvation  of  souls,  felt  drawn  towards 
me,  and,  as  I  have  since  learned,  expressed  to  Mr. 
CIcrc  the  sentiment  with  which  I  inspired  him, 
and  the  desire  he  conceived  of  attempting  my  con- 
version. Poor  Mr.  Clerc,  who  for  two  years  had 
had  leisure  to  become  acquainted  with  my  disposi- 
tions, did  not,  it  seems,  conceal  the  fact  that  ho 
saw  no  chance  of  success.  Nevertheless,  the  Abbe 
Girard,  whom  Almighty  God  had  chosen  as  his 


■a 


;| 


■X  I 


264 


Alexis  Clcrc. 


I'  r 

■V; 


KH'" 


III 


I' 


w 


iji'ill'i, 


li 

!     !! 


first  mcssonf!;cr  of  mercy  to  mc,  was  not  tliccon rapped; 
ono  dav  lio  drew  nic  into  the  cabin  which  the  com- 
mandcr  had  jilaccd  afc  his  disposal,  and  under  pre- 
text of  discoverinpf  if  a  certain  stenof^raphy  which 
lie  knew  I  used  was  the  same  he  had  formerly 
ttjught,  he  asked  mo  to  translate  aloud  to  him  a 
short  letter  which  ho  had  written  me.  It  was, 
as  yon  may  guess,  a  letter  of  wise  advice  and  seri- 
ous warning;  it  announced  to  mo  in  the  name  of 
Divine  Goodness  that  grace  was  at  that  moment 
visiting  me  and  offering  itself  to  me,  but  that,  re- 
pulsed, it  might  never  return.  This  announce- 
ment, which  had  been  made  me  many  times  be- 
fore and  had  not  shaken  my  imp:cty,  did  not  pro- 
duce much  more  impression  on  mo  then  ;  still,  I 
re  member  that  I  experienced  something  like  a  mo- 
ment of  hesitation,  something  like  a  slight  in- 
terior uneasiness,  a  passing  trouole  "which  I  had 
already  occasionally  felt  when  my  lips  were  casting 
up  to  God  one  of  those  terrible  expressions  of  de- 
fiance, the  mere  memory  of  which  causes  me  to 
tremble  even  now. 

"  I  only  noticed  several  years  later  a  circumstance 
wliich  seems  to  indicate  how  the  merciful  provi- 
dence of  God  fixes  beforehand  the  hours  when  it 
will  make  a  supreme  effort  to  become  master  of 
our  hearts;  the  day  on  which  this  took  pdace,  and 
which  the  missionary  had  inscribed  as  the  date  at 
the  top  of  his  letter,  was  precisely  the  one  on  which 
I  completed  my  twenty  first  year. 

"  Our  conversation  was  not  prolonged  ;  I  wanted 
to  escape  from  the  lyermcioiis  influence  which  I 


;■ 


A  Conversion  on  board  the  "  Cassinty     265 


thought  1  had  cxporicnccd  for  a  moment,  unci 
shortly  afterwards  1  roiid,  with  an  indulgence  in 
gome  horsc-lauglitcr,  the  good  priest's  charitable  let- 
ter to  my  assembled  comrades. 

**  Wc  left  the  latitude  of  Canton,  and  thus  wcro 
separated  from  him  whom  Almighty  God  had,  as 
ic  were,  made  the  confidant  of  his  tender  desires 
regarding  me.  Abbe  Girard  had,  it  sccma,  charged 
Mr.  Clerc  to  continue  the  vcconsinivlion  of  faith  in 
my  soul — a  woik  the  first  etunc  of  which,  against 
all  appearances,  he  did  not  despair  of  having  hud. 

*'I  sometimes  found  mvsclf  on  watch  with  Mr. 
Clerc  and  under  his  orders,  and  one  evening  when 
we  were  at  anchor,  and  there  was  no  duty  to  claim 
cither  his  or  my  attention,  he  managed  to  lead  the 
conversation  to  religious  questions,  and  soon  to 
wrest  from  mc  an  acknowledgment  of  the  painful 
void  which  I  had  often  felt  in  my  soul  ever  sinco 
I  had  allowed  the  faith  of  my  first  Communion  to 
become  extinguished.  In  fact,  it  had  happened  to 
me  at  the  naval  school  when  I  was  listening  to  the 
astronomical  lectures  tliac  were  given  us,  to  look 
with  disdain  upon  my  existence,  so  petty  in  com- 
parison with  the  immensiiy  of  the  universe,  and  to 
be  seized  with  a  profound  distaste  for  life,  no  longer 
having  a  knowledge  of  my  soul  and  its  eternal  des- 
tinies, and  feeling  condemned  to  painfully  prepare 
a /"//if 2^ re  which,  if  it  were  not  cut  short  by  death, 
would  perhaps  have  no  greater  duration  than  the 
present  employed  in  assuring  it.  Even  at  times 
the  idea  of  suicide  crocsed  my  brain  of  eighteen 
years,  the  age  of  J'^yoiis  unconcern. 


■4tl 


■'■■« 


^:t 


266 


Alexis  Clerc. 


* 


I 


'*(ll 


tS;- 


r»' 


■'"'I  I , 


i 


if! 

^  111  ■;'';' 


% 


|! 


'"^  Later,  on  shipboard,  iu  the  culm  of  the  beau- 
tiful tropical  nights':,  in  the  midst  of  immensit}-^  I 
tried  to  fathom  the  unfathomable  depths  of  tlie 
starry  heavens,  and  to  divine  beyond  tiiat  vast  but 
finite  ex2)anse  of  matter  the  Infinite  whom  my  soul 
had  lost.  It  was  a  sentiment  I  did  not  reason 
about;  I  did  not  know  what  I  sought,  but  I  felt 
that  I  lacked  something,  ci  rather  that  I  lacked 
everything  ;  I  had  a  career  of  my  choice  and  lo 
my  taste  ;  I  enjoyed,  in  spite  of  my  impiety,  the 
esteem  of  my  superior  ofTicers  and  the  good-will 
of  my  comrades  ;  I  had  at  home  a  family  that 
awaited  my  return  to  lavish  affection  upon  mo 
more  than  ever  before — yet,  at  those  moments 
when,  all  being  silent  around  my  conscience,  \i 
could  hear  its  almost  extinct  voice,  I  felt  a  void 
within  me, 

**From  the  diiy  I  made  the  acknowledgment  of 
that  instinctive  want  which  I  had  sometimes  ft  It, 
but  had  quickly  tried  to  deceive  instead  of  en- 
deavoring to  satiafy,  my  soul  begun  to  chango, 
to  ho  coiivcrk'd,  to  use  the  beautiful  and  appropri- 
ate expression  which  is  ap^  !ed  to  that  moral  phe- 
nomenon. 

*' Henceforth  I  had  an  end  before  mo,  and  I 
started  on  my  j  nirney  to  reach  it  with  a  step  that 
doubtless  was  very  uncertain,  tottering,  and  irreso- 
lute, but  allowing  nysetf  to  bo  urged  forward  by 
the  energetic  charity  of  our  holy  friend,  wlio,  as 
goon  as  ho  had  seen  the  possibility  of  snatching 
me  from  the  devil,  had  conceived  an  ardent,  super- 
natural affection  for  me. 


A  Conversion  on  board t lie  "  Cassini.'^     267 


iiul  I 
tluit 
rreso- 
ircl  by 
lio,  as 
cliing 
super- 


"T  Lad  to  tell  him  that  I  did  not  believe  in  G-'<i ; 
aud  in  reality  it  was  belief  in  God,  the  sentiment 
of  his  existence,  that  my  soul  had  sometimes 
sought  to  draw  from  the  abyss  of  tlie  firmament. 
Followinj;  Mr.  Clcrc's  advice,  I  commenced  to  say 
every  night  before  going  to  sloop  this  singular 
prayer  :  *  My  God,  if  thou  dost  exist,  as  is  declared 
to  me,  deign,  I  beseech  thee,  to  inspire  mo  with 
the  sentiment  of  thy  existence.' 

"Who  can  measure  the  extent  of  God's  mer- 
cies ?  Tliat  prayer  which  resembled  a  blasphemy 
was  my  only  co-operation  in  the  work  to  which  our 
venerated  friend  from  that  time  forward  conse- 
crated his  zeal,  and  the  Lord  waited  for  no  more 
from  me.  T'lat  light  which  my  soul  had  instinc- 
tively sought  while  denying  it,  began  to  penetrate 
the  recesses  of  my  heart.  The  thick  darkness 
which  for  a  number  of  years  had  obscured  my 
vision,  began  to  fade  away  before  the  aurora  of 
grace  ;  I  felt  that  I  was  seized  and  carried  alonr;; 
by  a  divine  current  to  which  I  had  only  to  abandon 
myself,  and  which  transported  me  through  new 
regions.  The  night  wherein  I  had  so  long  lived 
fled  awijy,  and  the  duy  steadily  brightened  before 
me.  I  approached  objects  which,  seen  from  afar 
oil  and  tljrough  the  shadows  of  impiety,  had  ex- 
cited my  aversion,  and  they  grew  beautiful  to  my 
eyes.  My  affectionate  pilot  said  to  me :  '  Soon 
30U  will  see  new  horizons  opening  before  you'; 
and  in  reality  I  experienced  in  the  supernatural 
order  what  I  had  felt  in  the  inferior  order  when, 
for  the  first  time,  I  suikd  towards  the  open  sea, 


IP 


ftit 


ii 


268 


Alexis  Clerc, 


it 


ttl 

:•  ,,-:f 

te 

■•-\\,y 

«i 

'tt 

»»• 

'*    .'   i 

i* 

:  I      , 

\-S 


Wm 
i 


„ 


!  i 'i'l 


J 


'II  ill 


towards  the  blue  and  limpid  waters  oi  tlic  immense 
and  sparkling  ocean.  Henceforth  my  soul  is  cap- 
tivated ;  it  no  longer  dreams  of  resisting;  it  lets  it- 
self be  gently  borne  by  the  ineffable  grace  of  that 
God  who,  forgetting  in  an  instant  all  the  outrages 
he  has  received  from  his  creature,  seems  to  be  grate- 
ful because  it  is  willing  to  yield  to  him  its  love. 

"Nothing  of  the  work  that  was  being  carried  on 
in  the  depths  of  my  soul  appeared  exteriorly  ;  my 
comrades  thought  me  still  the  hardened  rebel  they 
had  heard  turning  the  tender  and  serious  warnings 
of  the  pious  missionary  into  ridicule. 

*'One  evening  I  happened  to  be  on  deck  when 
prayers  were  begun  according  to  the  maiitime  re- 
gulation ;  for  two  years  I  had  never  once  been  pre- 
sent at  this  exercise,  and,  if  at  the  moment  I  found 
myself  among  the  ship's  company,  I  always  has- 
tened to  withdraw,  so  as  not  to  be  obliged,  to  un- 
cover. This  evening  I  felt  urged  to  make  a  first 
act  of  faith,  and  before  human  respect,  so  long  my 
master,  had  had  time  (0  remind  me  of  its  ancient 
rights,  my  cap  was  off  my  head.  My  comrades 
(those  who  inntated  my  irrcligion)  had  gone,  sup- 
posing that  I  was  following  them.  When  I  re- 
joined them  after  prayers  were  over,  a  profound 
astonishment  was  still  depicted  on  their  counte- 
nances, but  they  had  the  delicacy  not  to  allude  to 
what  had  passed.  As  for  me,  1  was  not  quite  at 
my  ease,  but  the  step  was  taken  ;  I  was  like  a  man 
who  did  not  have  courage  enough  to  jump  in  the 
water  himself,  but  whom  anotlier  has  pushed  in;  I 
was  in,  and  it  cost  me  no  more  to  stay. 


Hi:- 


;! 


A  Conversion  on  hoard  the  "  Cassini,"'     26g 


"  From  that  day  faiili  made  rapid  progress  wiili- 
in  my  soul ;  the  gratuitous  mercy  of  God  and  the 
hurning  zeal  of  the  future  martyr  alone  acted.  I 
repeat  it  again,  I  was  as  though  gently  borne  along 
by  a  current  that  required  no  efforts  on  my  part. 

**  I  had  preserved  almost  no  notion  of  the  reli- 
gion that  had  illumined  my  childhood  for  so  phorfc 
a  time.  For  example,  I  no  longer  knew  the  mean- 
ing of  the  Trinity;  I  thought  the  Blessed  Virgin 
belonged  to  it ;  my  ignorance  was  that  of  a  p:igan. 
One  day,  however,  I  felt  impelled  to  make  the  sign 
of  the  cross.  The  Lord  seemed  to  ask  me  for  these 
feeble  marks  of  my  good-will,  and  to  await  thrm 
in  order  to  lavish  his  graces  upon  me  with  new  pro- 
fusion. 

*'  Soon  after  this  Mr.  Clerc  offered  mo  a  medal 
of  the  Blessed  Virgin  ;  I  accepted  it,  and  sus- 
pended it  round  my  neck.  Human  respect,  con- 
quered a  first  time  by  surprise,  now  found  itself  in 
my  heart  in  presence  of  what  was  for  it  a  formid- 
able enemy  :  this  was  a  disposition  I  have  always 
had  to  push  without  discretion  the  application  of 
my  ideas  or  of  my  fancies  to  the  extremesfc  point. 
This  disposition,  which  has  caused  me  to  commit 
many  faults,  was  in  this  case,  through  divine 
mercy,  a  powerful  help  to  my  soul. 

"Two  or  three  months  before  1  had  made  the 
cabin  which  my  comrades  and  I  occupied  resound 
with  my  shameless  blasphemies — and  now  they  saw 
me,  at  the  hour  of  the  morning  ablutions,  uncover 
my  breast  where  the  precious  medal  shone. 

**  Almighty  God   had  armed,   one  against   the 


"•*;■'%( ., 
<«  fM  - 

|,!V,l«^       : 
Hi 

■ivsijf     ^ 


"^ 


I'.      i    ' 


II 


■■'"u,, 


270 


Alexis  Clerc. 


(,'Ki 


-^fil! 


ii» 


m 

''tiiii'iiiii 

iii 


ilili 


other,  two  caprices  of  my  nature,  and  renclercd 
vigorous  tlic  one  which  was,  for  the  time  being,  to 
assure  my  salvation. 

"I  often  think,  and  not  without  being  moved, 
of  how  my  comrades  treated  me  then.  Some  of 
them,  on  account  of  theiy  religious  faith,  had  been 
the  objects  of  my  sarcasm,  which  they  never  re- 
proached me  foj ;  others,  on  the  contrary,  had 
heard  me  far  surpass  the  impiety  of  their  language, 
and  even  when,  too  soon  forgetful  of  my  own  past, 
I  became  severe  towards  their  incredulity,  they 
never  taunted  me  with  my  previous  irreligion.  In 
the  sequel,  one  of  the  latter  frequently  offered  to 
rei^laco  me  when  my  duties  would  have  prevented 
me  from  attending  Mass  on  Sundays. 

"I  was  thus  sailing  on  a  calm  and  tranquil  sea 
when  one  day  a  terrible  tempest  arose  in  my  soul. 
I  was  again  on  watch  with  Mr.  Olerc.  Eight 
o'clock  had  struck,  night  had  set  in,  and  we  were 
to  remain  on  deck  until  midnight.  The  ship  was 
resting  on  her  auchors  :  tlie  sailors  were  stretched 
on  the  jilanks  asleep ;  it  seemed  as  though  there 
were  only  three  of  us  between  the  heavens  and  the 
waters — Almighty  God,  his  faithful  interpreter, 
and  myself.  This  evening  Mr.  Clerc  began  to  talk 
to  me  about  confession.  I  trembled  at  the  word, 
and  suddenly  that  luminous  ocean,  in  whose  midst 
my  soul  had  been  delighting  for  some  months, 
seemed  to  grow  dark.  I  saw  my  old  prejudices, 
which  I  had  believed  to  be  vanished  because  I  had 
ceased  to  feel  them,  coming  back  to  me  from  all 
sides.     I  was,  as  it  were,  surrounded  with  a  circle 


A  Conversion  on  board  the  '*  Cassini.'^     2/i 


of  black  phantoms  that  sought  to  stifle  my  new 
faith,  and  my  old  aversions  seemed  to  live  again  in 
my  heart  and  drown  the  supplicating  Yoice  of  my 
earnest  friend.  Three  hours  passed,  he  speaking 
without  pause,  drawing  from  the  depths  of  his 
piety  and  tenderness  ever-fresh  arguments  to  tri- 
umph over  the  repugnances  which  my  silent  man- 
ner allowed  him  to  easily  conjecture.  He  told  mo 
afterwards  that  ho  then  felt  that  the  solemn  hour 
liad  sounded  for  me,  and  that,  being  without  trou- 
ble of  my  own  arrived  at  the  gates  of  the  celestial 
city,  I  would,  if  I  did  not  enter  them  by  an  ener- 
getic effort,  see  them  close  before  me  for  ever.  In 
reality  God  ov/ed  me  nothing.  I  had  done  nothing 
for  him  ;  on  the  contrary,  I  owed  him  an  account 
of  the  graces  he  had  lavished  upon  mo,  and  which 
had  brought  mo  thus  far.  My  sensations  were 
those  of  a  D:ian  standing  at  the  mouth  of  a  myste- 
rious dark  cavern,  of  unknown  depth,  which  he 
believes  to  be  infested  with  hideous  reptiles,  and 
which  some  one  is  trying  to  persuade  him  to  enter 
alone,  without  light  and  without  assistance.  In  an 
instant  tha  devil,  undoubtedly  feeling  his  prey 
about  to  escape  him,  had  been  clover  enough  to 
restore  life  to  all  those  silly  imaginations  I  had 
derived  from  execrable  romances.  Prostrate  be- 
neath the  burden  of  a  sort  of  invincible  terror,  my 
panting  soul  from  time  to  time  made  an  effort  to 
rise ;  then  it  fell  back  upon  itself,  deprived  of  both 
sirength  and  courage.  I  know  not  how  to  express 
tlio  agony  I  suffered  during  those  threo  hours.  I 
was  mute,  and  my  poor  friend,  worn  out,  felt  his 


Hi    ■ 


■''••■Ifc 


2/2 


Alexis  Clerc. 


• 

i 

w 

1. 

">' 

tf    'Sfi 


!■ 


■l.  <i 


1I» 


ill 
lip 


■'  ,'<. 


m 


i'iiliiii 


III' 
.  ,   lip 
III 
iHl'jii;;!! 

II  lljim 


heart  ptiinfully  wruug  by  the  tlioiight  that  it  was 
finished  with  me.  .  Suddenly,  moved  by  one  oC 
those  supreme  graces  which  doubllcss  cost  our  Sa- 
viour the  most  bitter  pang.^  and  tlie  most  profound 
ignominies,  I  straightened  myself  up  and  said  to 
Mr.  Clerc:  *  I  will  confess  to-morrow.'  I  know  not 
which  preponderated  in  his  heart,  surprise  or  joy. 
I  had  not  succeeded  in  driving  off  the  phantoms 
that  beset  me,  but  T  had  repeated  interiorly,  and, 
as  it  were,  stammeringly,  the  words  the  Spirit  of 
God  dictated  to  my  soul  :  ^^ly  God,  I  cannot  de- 
liver myself  from  these  aversions,  but  in  gratitude 
for  what  thou  hast  done  for  me  I  will  make  this 
effort  that  is  asked  of  me.'  I  have  often  in  thought 
recalled  that  solemn  moment  of  my  life,  and  it  has 
never  been  without  deep  emotion. 

^'  The  next  day  I  entered  with  Father  Languil- 
lat,*  whom  I  had  selected  at  the  suggestion  of  Mr. 
Clerc,  tbc  chaj)cl  on  board,  and  opened  my  soul 
that  had  been  shut  up  for  nine  years.  Ah  !  Cod 
be  thanked  a  thousand  times  for  loving  miserable 
sinners  so  much  ! 

''Father  Languillat  made  mo  promise  to  read 
that  part  of  Wx.  Nicolas'  '  Etudes  '  which  treats  of 
the  Eiicharist ;  and,  in  fact,  I  opened  the  book, 
but  soon  closed  it  again.  God's  grace  outran  the 
tcxf,  and  it  seemed  to  me  that  those  pages,  learned 
as  they  were,  could  teach  me  nothing  more.  My 
heart,  readier  than  my  mind,  had  in  a  few  mo- 
ments plentifully  drunk  of  the  waters  of  divine 

*No\v  Bi'^hop  of  Sorglopoli.s  aud  Administrator  of  tlio  Dio- 
cese of  I^l.iiikin. 


A  Conversion  on  board  iJic  "  Cassini^     273 


knowledge.  I  asked  to  approach  Holy  Commu- 
inon,  and  I  deiinitL'ly  rc-enlorcd  the  Cinistiaii  life. 

"Twenty  ycfirs  have  passed  since  tlint  day,  and, 
in  an  incessant  warfare  between  Cod's  grace  and 
tny  miserable  nature,  the  latter  has,  to  my  shame, 
too  often  been  victorious  ;  but  the  God  of  infinite 
patience  and  generosity  has  never  permitted  that 
the  faith  restored  to  my  soul  should  bo  s!jake!i.  I 
reUirned  to  the  Christian  life  almost  v/Ilhout  study. 
For  a  long  time  afterwards  I  had  not  the  leisure  to 
si  udy  attentively  that  admirable  science,  of  which 
I  had  learned  scarcely  the  first  elements  in  my 
childhood,  and  which  in  my  youth  became  per- 
fectly strange  to  me.  Kotwithstanding  this,  the 
revolts  of  my  nature  never  had  the  power  to  pro- 
duce the  slightest  trouble  in  my  renewed  faith. 
For  twenty  years  I  have  b^cn  ruled  by  faith — en- 
vclo[)ed,  penetrated  with  faith — and  I  cannot  help 
being  frightened  at  the  terrible  responsibility  I  have 
incurred  by  not  having  made  fruitful  within  me  so 
lively  a  faith,  the  pure  gift  of  God. 

'*  During  the  fifteen  months  that  followed  this 
most  important  event  of  my  life — that  is,  until  the 
Cassini  returned  to  France — Mr.  Clerc  and  I  lived 
the  intimate  life  of  shipboard.  Daily  he  edified 
mo  by  his  piety,  his  humility,  Lis  so  courteous 
charity  for  all.  How  many  times  wo  prayed  to- 
gether, now  in  the  modest  cliai)el  on  deck  or  in 
his  cabin,  now  leaning  over  the  ship's  rail,  letting 
the  invocations  of  the  lt(jsary  fall  bead  by  bead 
upon  the  murmuring  waves  the  vessel  scattered  as 
she  pursued  her  course,  each  one  of  which,  as  it 


1 


«i|1(4(f    j 


■*|.i    : 


•1 


*i 


! 


m 


2/4 


A /ex  is  CIcrc. 


clisa})pearccl  in  the  duikncss,  seemed  to  mingle  its 
melodious  ripple  witli  the  sound  of  our  voices  ! 
How  many  times  we  together  received  the  hospi- 
tality of  your  pious  and  valiant  brethren  at  Zika- 
wci,*  at  Tsamkaleu,  at  Shanghai  !  0  sweet  and 
imperishable  memories,  which  I  cannot  recall  to 
him  save  by  looking  towards  heaven  I" 

Our  readers  will  not  be  displeased  with  us  for 
having  reproduced  in  its  eloquent  simplicity  the 
recital  of  this  fervent  convert,  who  from  that  day 
of  grace  was  Clerc's  friend  in  life  aud  death  ;  who 
twenty  years  later  witnessed  his  solemn  profession, 
made  on  the  morning  of  the  19th  of  March,  1871, 
just  in  the  sinister  dawn  of  the  Commune  ;  and 
who  a  few  days  afterv^ards  again  received  a  pre- 
cious token  of  this  holy  friendship — a  letter,  the 
last,  written  behind  the  bolts  of  Mazas. 


lit*  'jf 


:''W)Hk! 


*  Coll^■ge  of  tho  Jesuit  Fathers,  near  Shanghai. 


m 

■|'h! 


Ml 
ii 


iliiili!il:i 


CHAPTER  IX. 

RHANGriAI   AND   TTTI3  J2SCIT   MTSSTOX. 

"Whex  Clcrc  arrived  at  Shanghai  for  tlic  For-ond 
timo,  in  the  course  of  the  month  of  ]\Iarch,  1853, 
tiie  first  thing  that  sfriick  liirn  was  the  continued 
progress  of  the  insurrection,  whose  wave  already 
covered  a  considerable  portion  of  the  province  of 
Nankin  and  washed  towards  (he  coasts  a  veritable 
army  of  thieves,  the  refuse  of  all  the  neighboring^ 
provinces,  that  closely  threatened  the  mission  of 
the  Jesuit  Fathers  and  the  establishments  of  Eu- 
ropean commerce  situated  on  the  banks  of  the 
Wampou  outside  the  fortified  enclosure  of  the 
Chinese  city.  "We  arc,"  he  wrote,  "on  the  eve 
of  most  important  events.  The  famous  rebels  who, 
since  1832,  have  been  steadily  gaining  ground  in 
the  Celcsiial  Empire,  in  these  latter  days,  after 
occupying  the  provinces  of  Ilonan  and  IIoupc,  have 
taken  possession  cf  a  very  large  city,  the  capital 
of  the  province,  called  Hantclieou,  I  think. -"'^  On 
our  arrival  at  Ning-po  it  was  said  that  they  were 
besieging  Nankin  ;  here,  at  Shanghai,  that  Nan-: 
kin  was  taken;  then,  that  neither  of  the  reports 
was  true,  and  that  the  rebels  were  advancing 
towards  the  north.     There  is  very  little  i^ositivo 

*  Perhaps  Hingtclieou,  a  fortified  town  in  Honan. 

275 


«Vft 


«Vtt 

tfPN 


t 

^ 


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Alexis  Clcrc. 


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information,  and  the  liigJicst  Chinese  authorities 
know  no  more  ubout  tiio  matter  than  we  do. 
AVliafc  is  certain,  and  what  I  know  for  myself,  is 
that  the  ino-fai,  or  governors,  of  Ning-po  and 
Shanghai  arc  in  /zrcat  uneasiness;  these  immense 
citiis  are  absolutely  drained  of  soldiers.  In  Ning- 
po  a  band  of  fifly  go  through  their  drill  every  day; 
in  Shanghai  there  are  twenty  soldiers;  these  are 
cities  of  perhaps  500,000  inhabitants.  The  winter 
is  cold,  commerce  is  almost  destroyed,  consequent- 
ly tiic  misery  is  very  great  and  fur  beyond  what  we 
know  anylliing  about  in  Franco  ;  yet  these  legions 
of  miserable  creatures  remain  quiet,  and  up  to  the 
present  only  their  mandarins  live  in  fear  of  harm. 
Such  a  thing  would  be  impossible  in  Eun^pc,  where 
some  scoundrel  would  soon  have  the  enterprise  to 
obtain  supplies  for  himself  by  an  easy  pillage. 

*'  The  situation  of  the  authorities  is  so  critical 
that  the  taoiai  of  Shanghai,  who  last  year  was  so 
badly  disposed  towards  us,  and  whoso  malevolence 
only  stopped  short  of  obliging  us  to  go  to  Nankin, 
has  accepted  as  a  precious  favor  the  offer  we  have 
made  him  of  a  refuge  for  himself,  his  family,  and  his 
possessions,  in  case  of  the  arrival  of  the  rebels,  or 
of  what  is  more  to  be  feared,  a  band  of  robbers. 

"The  weakness  of  this  vast  empire  is  as  prodi- 
gious as  its  duration,  and  I  believe  that  the  in- 
stinct of  the  ant  has  been  somewhat  divided  be- 
tween itself  and  the  Chinese.  But  we  cannot  the 
less  be  astonishe.-l  at  the  stupidity  of  this  gov- 
ernment, so  sluggish  in  its  own  defence.  Being  so 
well  a^vare  of  its  own  incapacity,  why  has  it  not 


S/iauj^hai  and  tJic  Jesuit  Mission.        277 


hiivc 


{ittemptcd  to  secure  some  mercenary  troops  from 
Europe  ?  Tlio  three  liundretl  mobiles  who  arc 
Oil  their  way  to  establish  themselves  iu  America 
would  have  suiliced  to  fix  the  victory  on  the  em- 
peror's side,  and  lo  discipline  and  animate  these 
l)Oor  soldiers.  It  was  in  reward  for  a  similar  service 
that  the  Portufruesc  were  allowed  to  found  i\Iacao. 

"The  reigning  emperor  is  named  Ilien-foung. 
The  leader  of  the  rebels,  who  now  assumes  the  same 
title,  is  Tien-tc  ;  he  was  formerly,  it  is  stated,  a 
scullion  in  a  monastery  of  bonzes.  What  is  sure 
is  that  he  is  a  Chinaman,  and,  although  the  Tar- 
tars may  be  Cliincsed,  the  revolt  against  a  foreign 
dynasty  is  popular  enough  throughout  the  empire. 
The  rebels,  it  is  said,  do  not  pillage  the  country  ; 
there  is  no  more  to  be  feared  from  them  than  from 
the  legitimate  mandarins,  and  were  it  not  that  af- 
ter having  occupied  the  cities  they  leave  them  dis- 
organized and  without  government,  so  that  their 
own  army  is  followed  by  an  army  of  thieves,  the 
people  would  have  nothing  to  complain  of  on  their 
account.  The  mandarin  of  Shanghai  would  like 
to  obtain  from  our  simplicity  that  the  Cassini 
should  go  to  Nankin  to  give  a  great  moral  support 
to  the  cause  of  the  emperor.  He  has  not  the  pow- 
ers any  more  than  our  commander  to  arrange  so 
weighty  an  affair  as  a  defensive  alliance  with  so 
compromised  an  emperor;  therefore  he  will  pro- 
bably have  his  labor  for  his  amiable  pains. 

"  The  English  and  American  fleets  and  the  Cas- 
sini keep  near  Shanghai,  the  north  of  China  being 
at  present  the  theatre  of  events  which  arc  probably 


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Alexis  CIcrc. 


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decisive  and  of  the  liigliesfc  imporlunce  to  English 
commerce.  Tlicre  are  very  inllucnlial  English 
liouses  that  during  the  last  months  have  not  been 
able  to  pay  their  employees,  money  u  so  scarce.  I 
■will  wait  till  the  next  mail  to  give  you  other  particu- 
lars of  these  matters.  This  mail  leaves  to-morrow, 
the  /^Otii,  and  I  have  only  tiiis  evening  to  answer 
my  letter^!." 

Before  closing  his  letter  Alexis  adds  the  follow- 
ing two  lines  :  **  To-morrow  the  dedication  of  the 
Catiiolic  church  of  Shanghai  takes  place.  It  will 
be  a  great  event."  > 

And  truly,  since  the  ruin  of  the  ancient  missions 
was  completed  at  the  close  of  the  last  century, 
never  had  the  Catholic  Church  displayed  so  much 
pomp,  nor  asserted  so  loudly  her  right  to  at  least 
appear  in  the  open  daylight  on  that  soil  which  is 
always  wet  witli  the  blood  of  martyrs.  It  well  be- 
longed to  Shanghai  to  uplift  the  cross  again  and  to 
restore  to  honor  the  altar  of  the  living  God,  for 
that  city  is  the  native  place  of  ihe  illustrious  disci- 
ple of  Father  Ricci,  Paul  Siu,  a  man  who,  clothed 
with  tlie  first  dignities  of  the  empire,  used  his  im- 
mense influence  and  his  remarkable  talents  only  to 
protect  the  missionaries,  and  to  labor  himself  to 
establish  in  his  family  and  in  his  country  the  reign 
of  Jesus  Christ,  ki  first  that  generous  neophyte 
received  the  fr'hers  in  his  own  residence,  which 
thus  became  the  first  church  of  Shanghai ;  but 
Father  Cataneo  having  led  him  to  observe  that  the 
little  and  the  poor  would  not  readily  frequent  the 
palace  of  £o  high  and   powerful  a  personage,  he 


ShaugJiai  and  iJie  Jesuit  Mission.        279 


donated  for  the  building  of  a  cliurcli  and  presby- 
tery a  lot  of  land  within  the  enclosure  of  the  city 
and  not  far  from  the  northern  gate.  After  the 
suppression  of  the  Society  of  Jesus,  which  struck  to 
the  heart  these  beautiful  missions,  the  church  was 
changed  into  a  pagoda  and  tiio  presbytery  became 
at  onco  a  public  school  and  a  convent  of  bonzesscs. 
The  Jesuits  sent  again  inlo  China  by  the  Propa- 
ganda, and  returned  to  the  diocese  of  Nankin, 
made  it  a  duty  to  protest  against  that  spoliation, 
and,  thanks  to  the  energetic  support  of  Mr.  de 
Lagrene,  they  obtained,  if  not  a  restitution,  which 
was  become  morally  impossible,  at  least  compensa- 
tions and  asuitablo  indemnity.  The  buildings  con- 
structed for  Catholic  worship  were  not  given  back, 
but  a  quite  largo  piece  of  land  washed  by  the 
Wampou  was  abandoned  to  the  fathers,  and  it  was 
upon  this  ground  that  the  cathedral  of  St.  Francis 
Xavier  was  erected.  Mgr.  de  Bcsi,  administrator 
of  the  diocose  of  Nankin,  had  laid  the  first  stone 
in  1848,  and  five  years  afterwards  (for  it  did  not 
take  less  for  this  great  work)  Mgr.  Maresca  was  to 
bless  it.  The  architect  was  a  missionary  who  had 
already  tried  his  skill  by  building  some  miles  from 
Shanghai  the  chapel  of  the  college  of  Zikawei.  He 
had  without  servility  adopted  the  compact  propor- 
tions and  the  general  characteristics  of  the  Doric 
order,  and,  conforming  generously  to  the  taste  and 
traditions  of  the  country,  he  had  suspended  all 
round  the  edifice  a  continuous  fringe  of  truly 
Chinese  ornamentation,  the  style  of  which  recalled 
Gothic  chapters.    The  cross,  shooting  up  in  the  air 


28o 


Alexis  Clcrc. 


'i*%' 


•v 


^a 


il 


above  all  the  buildings  of  the  city,  was  seen  at  a 
great  distance,  and  showed  to  the  eyes  of  the  infi- 
dels themselves  the  centre  of  the  whole  mission 
and  the  residence  of  the  bishop.  On  the  front  the 
Pope's  arms  were  distinguishable  among  the  other 
ornaments,  and  the  delighted  neophytes  stopped  to 
read  beautiful  inscriptions  in  Chinese  characters, 
which  recalled  a  glorious  past  by  reproducing  tex- 
tually  those  which  the  ancient  missionaries  had 
engraven  on  the  great  door  of  the  church  of  Pekin. 
"Alexis  Clerc,"  the  commander  of  the  Cassiniy 
who  betrays  his  own  sentiments  while  interpreting 
those  of  that  other  himself,  tells  us — "  Alexis  Clerc 
had  the  joy  of  seeing  this  church  filled  with  the 
Chinese  faithful,  who  had  gathered  in  such  great 
numbers  that  it  was  impossible  for  them  to  kneel 
during  Miss.  It  was  a  touching  sight — that  mul- 
titude of  Christian  boats  grouped  on  tlie  Wampou 
near  the  church,  and  bearing  either  a  floating 
streamer  or  a  white  flag  on  which  was  a  blue  cross. 
There  were  in  these  boats  whole  families,  some  of 
whom  had.  come  more  than  fifty  leagues.  Two 
boats  from  the  Cassuiiy  fully  armed,  were  stationed 
in  the  river,  to  prevent,  if  there  should  be  occasion, 
the  tumult  and  disorder  with  which  the  Protestants 
and  some  Ciiinamen  had  threatened  the  fathers. 
Some  non-commissioned  ofiicers,  well-armed,  were 
added  to  the  commander's  staff  present  at  the  cere- 
mony. The  worthy  Mr.  de  Montigny,  consul  of 
Prance,  who  seemed  to  expect  some  disturbance, 
brought  with  him  a  confidential  servant  carrying 
pistols  under  his  garments,  and  he  would  not  have 


Shanghai  and  the  Jesuit  Mission.        28 1 


at  a 

infi- 
ssion 
t  tlic 
other 
(cd  to 
ctevs, 

rt  tcX- 

5  bad 

?eUin. 

.ssini, 

re  ting 

!  Clerc 

til  the 

1  great 

}  kneel 
t  mul- 

ampou 
oating 
cross, 
ome  of 
Two 
ationed 
casion, 
tcstants 
fathers, 
a,  were 
he  cere- 
nsul  of 
irbance, 
3arrying 
lot  have 


failed  to  use  them  in  case  of  need.  But,  thank 
God!  there  was  only  the  disorder  of  enthusiasm  and 
joy.  Pahn  Sunday,  for  that  was  the  day,  nobly 
inaugurated  the  cathedral  of  Shanghai." 

All  the  time  not  taken  up  by  the  duties  of 
his  position  Clcrc  spent  with  the  fathers,  who 
liked  him  and  already  treated  him  as  one  of 
themselves.  Two  steps  fiom  the  city  was  the 
seminary  of  Tsamkalcu,  and  a  few  miles  dis- 
tant the  college  of  Zikawei — two  successful  at- 
tempts at  the  education  of  the  natives  which 
had  most  agreeable  surprises  in  store  for  him. 
AVhcn  he  visited  those  children,  those  youth  of  a 
charming  candor  and  docility,  of  a  fervor  that  re- 
minded their  masters  of  the  besj:  days  of  St. 
Acheul,  Fribourg,  and  Brugelette,  the  greater 
number  of  an  intelligence  very  ready  and  accessible 
to  .nil  that  constitutes  what  we  consider  a  liberal 
education — when,  I  say,  he  saw  them  by  turns  at 
study,  in  the  chapel,  at  their  recreation?,  he  shook 
off  the  prejudices  he  could  not  help  receiving  from 
the  grotesque  types  whoso  rarest  examples  he  had 
met  in  Macao,  and  conceded  without  difficulty  that 
all  the  natives  of  the  Celestial  Empire  were  not 
fatally  and  invincibly  the  Chinese  of  the  folding 
screens.  Those  young  students,  rescued  from  infi- 
delity, and  destined,  some  to  give  an  example  of  the 
domestic  virtues  in  the  midst  of  the  corruption  of 
paganism,  others  to  become  priests  of  Jesus  Christ, 
apostles,  martyrs  perhaps,  appeared  to  him  worthy 
of  a  tender  interest,  and  he  loved  them  as  he  was 
capable  of  loving,  with  all  his  heart,  and  so  as — I 


^'3^ 


■A 


282 


Alexis  Clcrc. 


have  a  proof  of  it  before  mo — to  inspire  iiiom  with  a 
grateful  and  almost  fllial  affection.  Tor  they  cer- 
tainly were,  if  I  am  not  mistaken,  pupils  of  Zika- 
wei  or  of  Tsamkaleu  who  together  signed  Francis 
Vuon  and  MatJiias  Sen  at  the  end  of  a  Latin  letter 
written  on  red  paper  and  accompanying  some 
Chinese  verses — a  letter  whicli  Clerc  received  after 
his  return  to  France,  and  whicli  he  deposited  in  his 
private  archives,  where  I  found  it.  I  read  there, 
among  other  things  (in  the  Latin,  be  it  well 
understood),  that  from  his  first  appearance  in 
Shanghai  Alexis  has  not  ceased  to  load  his  young 
correspondents  with  benefits  whose  multitude  and 
magnitude  are  such  that  they  cannot  attempt  to 
express  it. '  But  they  remember  him  in  their 
prayers,  they  ask  God  to  grant  him  all  kinds  of 
happiness:  "a  glory  as  high  and  lusting  as  the 
mountains,  a  grace  renewed  every  duy  like  the  sun 
and  moon  "  ;  and  they  implore  him,  for  his  part, 
not  to  forget  the  unfortunate  Chinese  dragged  in 
such  great  numbers  along  the  paths  of  error  and 
so  hard  to  bring  back  to  God.  Making  ss  large  an 
allowance  as  we  choose  for  rhetoric  and  oriental 
metaphor,  those  gallant  young  men  have  grateful 
memories,  and  Clerc  has  known  how  to  speak  to 
them  in  a  language  that  is  understood  in  all  coun- 
tries. 

One  of  the  old  laborers  of  the  Nankin  mission, 
whose  shattered  health  has  brought  him  nearer  to 
us  and  fixed  him  in  France,  tells  us  that  he  has 
preserved  a  delightful  recollection  of  Lieutenant 
Clerc's  stav  at  Shanghai  and  Zikawei.    *' In  read- 


ShciJig/iai  and  the  Jesuit  JMission.        2S3 


ing,"  113  continuos,  '•  the  narration  of  tlie  captivity 
and  dcatli  of  o  ir  fatliars  (luring  the  C/ommune), 
I  said  ti  mysjif,  tli'nkiiig  ospocially  of  Father 
Cierc  :  *  BalioM  the  wortiiy  cro;vning  of  a  life  whicli 
I  so  often  admired  i:i  Cliina  twenty  years  ago,  and 
which  now  appears  to  mo  like  a  noble  prelude  to 
the  glory  of  martyrdom.*  When  the  Cassim  was 
anchored  off  Slianghai  the  future  martyr  generally 
came  to  take  part  in  our  religious  festivals.  Ho 
was  singularly  fond  of  finding  himself  domesticated 
with  our  fathers,  and  of  following  the  regulation 
of  the  day  ^vitli  a  punctuality  and  case  which,  ex- 
cept for  his  officer's  uniform,  would  have  caused 
him  to  bo  taken  for  a  fervent  religious.  In  all  my 
acquaintance  with  the  young  officer  I  admired 
from  the  beginning  the  unequivocal  marks  of  a 
mo?!t  solid  virtue  and  a  most  amiable  piety,  the 
both  witliout  variation  or  intermission.  Always 
the  same,  always  smiling  from  the  effect  of  a  genu- 
ine and  frank  gayety,  the  young  sailor  showed 
already  by  his  words  and  actions  that  virtue  and 
piety  were  perfectly  acclimated  in  his  heart,  and 
they  shed  over  his  whole  life  so  gentle  a  radiance 
that  one  could  not  know  him  without  experiencing 
a  profound  sentiment  of  love  and  veneration  for 
his  person."' 

The  college  of  Zikawei  had  then  for  superior 
Father  Adrien  Languillat,  now  Bishop  of  Sergio- 
polis  and  Administrator  of  the  diocese  of  Nankin, 
a  valiant  missionary,  who  had  passed  through  the 
prisons  of  Changton  and  looked  death  in  the  face 
more  than  once.      Clcrc  was  on  intimate  terms 


a  St 


284 


Alexis  Clcrc, 


♦'t. 

"•■•^5 


•»f- 


^ 


...I 


witli  him  and  became  liis  spiritual  son.  If  wo 
had  not  known  tliis  from  good  authority,  we  would 
liavc  guessed  it  merely  f  om  seeing  them  together 
wlien,  in  18C9,,  Mgr.  Lin;,'uillat,  on  his  way  to  the 
Vatican  Council,  spent  some  v/eeks  in  Paris,  and 
came  to  tlio  School  Saihte  Genoviuve,  where  lie 
found  tlie  lieutenant  of  the  Cassini  under  a  Jesuit's 
habit.  From  morning  to  nlj^lit  Clero  liung  upon 
the  lips  of  the  missionary  bishop,  who  was  himself 
visibly  moved  by  this  unexpected  meeting  after  so 
long  a  separation,  and  the  cordiality  of  their  inter- 
course made  us  all  exclaim  :  "  See  how  they  love 
one  another  ! " 

Alexis  also  formed  a  close  friendship  with  the 
superior-general  of  the  mis^iion,  who  was  then  Fa- 
ther Joseph  Broullion,  an  energetic  and  impas- 
sioned nature,  but  with  a  piission  that  is  well 
fitiing  the  h^art  of  an  apostle  having  no  other 
object  than  the  good  of  s)uh.  Consumed  in  a 
short  space  by  the  ardor  of  his  zeal,  this  active  and 
courageous  superior  left  precious  memories  in  the 
mission  which  he  governed  only  three  years.  In 
the  course  of  that  year,  1853,  and  while  the  Cassini 
was  stationed  by  turns  at  Slianghai  and  Macao, 
Father  Broullion,  crossing  the  seas  with  Mr.  de 
Montigny,  Consul-General  of  France,  came  to  ex- 
pose in  person  to  our  superiors  of  Rome  and  Paris 
the  needs  of  the  Nankin  Church,  and  to  ask  them 
for  reinforcements.* 

*  This  voyage  explains  bow  it  happens  that  a  certain  letter 
of  Lieutenant  Clerc's,  which  we  shall  give  presently,  is  dated 
from  Shanghai,  and  addressed  in  Europe  to  the  superior  of 
the  mission  of  Kiaug-uan. 


Shanghai  and  the  Jesuit  Mission.        285 


[f  wc 
vovild 
rcUier 
to  tbo 
s,  and 
3 re  be 
csuit's 
upon 
limsclf 
ftcr  so 
•  intor- 
;^y  love 

ith  the 

icii  Fii- 

impas- 

is  well 
10  other 

d  in  a 

ive  and 

in  the 

IS.     In 

Cassini 

;Macao, 

Mr.  de 

to  ex- 

nd  Paris 
sk  tliem 


ain  lettei; 
^,  iHdaiecl 
superior  01 


Before  starting  ho  made  a  rapid  sketch  of  the 
mission  wliose  interests  were  conlldcd  to  him, 
added  a  great  number  of  letters  from  his  fellow- 
missionaries  on  tlie  events  tbat  disturtJed  the  Ce- 
lestial Empire,  and  an  earnest  introduction  which 
perfectly  revealed  his  soul  of  an  apostle,  and  tho 
wliole  appeared  in  a  volume  (1855)  undcu*  this 
title  :  *'  Memoir  of  the  Present  State  of  tho  ^lission 
of  Kiang-nan  (1842-1855)."  A  few  details  bor- 
rowed from  this  publication  will  furnish  an  ex;ict 
idea  of  the  spectacle  Clerc  had  before  his  eyes,  and 
at  which  he  gazed  not  as  an  indifferent  nor  merely 
curious  beholder. 

Let  us,  then,  picture  to  ourselves  a  province 
almost  as  large  as  France,  crossed  from  west  to 
eiist  by  a  mighty  river — the  Yang-tse-kiang,  which 
sli'ps  of  the  line  have  ascended  as  far  as  forty 
leagues  from  its  mouth — and  watered  in  every  di- 
roetion  by  innumerable  canals.  These  canals, 
which  are  the  chief  means  of  communication,  serve 
also  to  irrigate  tho  rice  plantations,  and  are  ail 
utilized  as  fisheries,  a  great  proportion  of  the  in- 
liabitants  living  only  on  rice  and  fish.  Such  is 
Kiang-nan,  the  capital  of  which  is  Nankin,  and 
uhieli  is  divided  into  two  sub-provinces,  Ngan- 
lioei  in  the  west  and  Kiang-sou  in  the  east — that 
i?,  towards  the  coast ;  tliis  latter  country,  entirely 
level,  is  very  frequently  devastated  by  inundations. 
The  totid  population  of  Kiang-nan  is  estimated  at 
fifty  millions  of  souls,  and  all  these  constitute  only 
one  diocese,  that  of  Nankin,  of  which  the  last  titu- 
lar was  a  Jesuit,  Mgr.  Leimbeck-IIoven,  who  died 


-at 


286 


Alexis  Clcrc, 


\^' 


'•8 


in  1T87  after  the  sup[)ression  of  liis  order.     Siicli 
is  the  inherittinco  the  Jc<5Uils  c.inio  into  possession 
of  only  in  1842 — an  immense  fiokl  left  almost  witli- 
ont  cultivation,  and  which   they  had  to  clear  up 
afresh.      Of  tlio  fifty  milhons,  as  yet  (1853)  only 
seventy-two   thousand   are   Ciiristians  ;    hut    this 
little  flock  is  scattered  over  an  extent  of  territory 
out  of  all  proportion  to  itsnumher.    Such  a  Chris- 
tian settlement,  Ou-ho,  for  instance,  is  more  than 
five  hundred  kilometers  from  Shanghai ;  hence  the 
constantly-renewed  fatigue  of  the  evangelical  la- 
borers, whoso  zeal,  moreover,   would   not   permit 
them  to  rest,  since  they  deem   themselves,  in  the 
words  of  the  apostle,  ihe  debtors  of  all  men,  both 
pagans  and  Christians.     And  then  in   that  coun- 
try such  a  thing  as  a  non  practical  Clirislian  is 
unknown.     All  make  their  Easter  duty,  or,  more 
exactly,  follow  the  exercises  of  the  micsion   when 
one  is  given  in  their  district,  and  of  course  the 
missionary  has  to  work  night  and  day.     "All  the 
busiuessof  a  Christian  community,"  Father  Broul- 
lion  says,  *'is  transacted  at  the  time  of  the  mission. 
To  hold  the  court  of  a  justice  of  the  peace,  to  set 
to  rights   families  and    households,  to  reconcile 
enemies,  to  urge  restitutions,  to  correct  libertines 
and  opium-smokers,  to  promote  good  works,  to  re- 
establish, to  develop  asiiociations  of  zeal  and  chari- 
ity,  to  visit  pagan?,  to  solace  the  unfortunate,  etc. — 
such  is  the  inevitable  circle  in  which  the  activity 
of  the  missionary  is  displayed,  not  to  count  the 
unforeseen  calls  upon  Lis  strength  and  prudence, 
such  as  the  dyin^  to  visit  at  a  distance,  and  the 


Shanghai  and  the  Jcsnit  Mission.        287 


Such 
iesalon 

car  up 
V)  only 
t  this 
jrritory 
I  Cluis- 
ro  til  an 
?nce  the 
lical  la- 

pcrinifc 
1,  in  the 
en,  both 
it  coun- 
jislian  is 
or,  more 
)u   when 
ursc  tlic 
-AU  the 
X  Broul- 

micsion. 

30,  to  set 

reconcile 
iber  tines 
ks,  to  re- 
nd chari- 
te,  etc.— 
activity 
ount  the 
prudence, 
,  and  tlio 


assaults  of  ilio  idolaters  to  sustain — assaults  which 
come  too  often,  alas  !  to  overthrow  Cliiistians  and 
churches,  missions  and  missionaries.  With  his 
IJiirty  yearly  confessions  per  day  the  priest  cannot 
attend  to  all  the  details  of  the  Christian  settlement, 
and  happy  is  the  one  who  has  been  able  to  associate 
with  himself  an  intelligent  catcchist,  and  to  create 
in  the  heart  of  the  iiarishes,  l)y  means  of  administra- 
tors and  virgins,  a  centre  of  pious  industries  ;  with 
the  aid  of  such  instruments  iiis  influence  will  peiic- 
trate  more  deeply,  and  the  fruits  of  the  mission  will 
bo  preserved  after  his  departure.  For  the  stay  of 
the  missionary,  very  short  in  small  placjs,  is  long 
nowhere  ;  and,  besides,  a  great  many  of  tlic  Chris- 
tians arc  too  busy  to  remain  within  his  reach  more 
than  two  or  three  days.  Tiicse  are,  among  others, 
the  fishermen,  obliged  by  poverty  to  depart  as  soon 
as  they  have  finished  their  confession,  received 
Holy  Communion,  and  heard  the  instructions  of 
one  or  two  mornings.  IIow  can  the  priest  detain 
men  who  without  constant  labor  wouM  not  have 
their  daily  rice  to  cat  ?  "  * 

In  1853  the  missionaries  of  Kiang-nan  distribut- 
ed to  the  faithful  more  than  eighty-three  thousand 
communions,  representing  more  than  ninety-one 
thousand  confessions  ;  they  baptized  five  thousand 
four  hundred  and  forty-five  children  of  pagans,  of 
whom  one  hundred  and  ninety-seven  were  raised  in 
the  orphanages  of  the  mission,  more  than  six  hun- 
dred others  having  been  adopted  by  Christian  fam- 

*  ' '  Memoir  of  the  Present  State  of  the  Mission  of  Kiang 
ti:ui,"  p.  5a. 


llllir 


'5t 


4fc 


288 


Alexis  Clcrc, 


*><,- 

"•*j 


H'  ■»>" 


A 


» 


ilies.  As  to  the  adults  convcitetl  and  baptized, 
they  numbered  over  five  hundred — a  liard  work 
that  sets  loose  all  the  devils  of  hell  ;  it  is  Satan's 
prey  that  is  snatched  from  him,  and  if  it  esciq)e8 
him  iio  is  sure  to  take  his  revcnf,^o.  But  the  apos- 
tle of  Jesus  Christ  hurries  to  meet  persecution  and 
death  ;  if  he  succumbs  he  knows  that  his  last  hour 
is  the  hour  of  victory,  and  that  the  reward  pro- 
nnscd  him  will  have  no  end. 

Fatlier  Broullion  concUulcs  his  ** Memoir"  as 
follows : 

**  We  can  promise  those  who  will  come  to  eharo 
our  labors  plenty  of  fatigue,  wcarincs?,  contradic- 
tions, and,  if  not  the  palm  of  martyrdom,  numerous 
occasions  of  wearing  out  soul  and  body  for  the 
glory  of  God.  But  they  will  also  have  tlie  assur- 
ance of  hastening  by  their  devoted  ness  the  final 
conquest  of  this  vast  empire,  which  has  so  long  re- 
belled against  the  prcuching  of  the  Gospel.'* 

This  language  suited  Clerc  perfectly,  and  it 
seemed  to  him  that  the  call  of  the  superior  of  the 
mission  was  addressed  to  him  personally,  so  great 
was  his  attraction  for  all  heroic  sacrifices.  Be 
sides,  he  saw  the  missionaries  at  the  work,  living 
as  he  did  in  tlieir  midst,  treated  like  one  of  them, 
ready,  if  they  would  consent,  to  share  their  aposto- 
lic fatigues,  and  nothing  equalled  the  eloquence 
of  the  facts  of  wliich  he  was  the  daily  witness. 

In  the  journal  of  the  first  long  retreat  he  made 
in  France  after  his  admission  into  the  Society  he 
has  recorded  a  name,  that  of  ]\[assa,  which  signi- 
fied to  him  evangelical  poverty  carried  to  the  do- 


S/iang/uii  and  the  Jesuit  Mission.        2Sy 


Li  zed, 

work 
iiLirn's 
sciipcs 

apos- 
»u  and 
t  hour 
1  pro- 

ir  "  as 

)  eh  arc 
itraUic- 
nicrous 
for  the 
assur- 
lic  final 
ong  rc- 

and  it 
of  the 
so  great 
Be 
living 
)f  them, 
r  aposto- 
loquence 

less. 

he  made 
ociety  he 
ch  signi- 
the  do- 


privation  of  everything  and  to  the  sacrifice  of  life. 
It  is  a  souvenir  brought  back  from  Slianghai. 
And,  in  fact,  our  catalogues  fix  tlie  date  of  Father 
Reno  Massa's  death  as  the  28tli  of  April,  1853.    . 

What  an  admirable  example  is  that  of  the  Mas- 
sas  I  I  say  the  Massas,  because  the  Father  Kcno 
to  whom  Clorc's  souvenir  refers  is  not  the  only 
one  of  the  name,  and  in  such  a  matter  it  would  bo 
easy  to  confound  them.  They  were  five  brothers 
belonging  to  a  patrician  family  of  Najjlc?,  all  five 
religious  of  the  .Society  of  Jesus,  and  all  five  mis- 
sionaries in  Kiang-iian.  The  Fathern  Agostino, 
Gaetano,  Nicolo,  and  Ilenato,  or  Hen 6,  Massa  ar- 
rived at  tlie  mission  together  in  the  year  18-10,  and 
were  joined  the  following  year  by  their  younger 
brother,  Aloysius,  then  in  his  twentieth  year,  and 
who  was  ordained  a  priest  only  in  1854.  IMiis  is 
not  all  ;  it  needs  another  touch  to  finish  the  pic- 
ture of  ihis  family  so  worthy  of  the  most  glorious 
centuries  of  the  Church,  thus  completing  its  re- 
semblance to  (he  forever  illustrious  families  that 
produced  a  St.  Gregory  of  Nazianzen  and  a  St. 
Basil  of  Csesarca.  When  they  saw  all  their  sons 
departed  for  China,  Baron  Massa  and  his  noble 
wife  also  determined  to  consecrate  their  last  ye?.rs 
to  God  ;  and  perhaps  at  the  moment  I  am  writing 
this,  in  the  retreat  of  their  choice,  and  long  since 
ripe  for  heaven,  they  are  about  to  receive  the  crown 
of  the  patriarchs  which  they  have  won  by  their 
great  faith. 

When  Clerc  arrived  in  Shanghai  the  Massas  were 
already  only  four,  Father  Gaetano  having  been  the 


%^ 


it 

Ik 


290 


Alexis  Clcrc. 


^i*-., 


«!• 


first  of  the  brother?  to  be  lakcn  f''  ni  the  mission. 
The  inundations  that  dcvustatod  Kiang-nan  in 
1850  were  giicceeded  by  terrible  misery.  While  the 
famine  lasted  the  residence  of  the  bishop  at  Tom- 
ka-lou  and  the  college  of  Zikawci  daily  received 
thousands  of  poor  creatures,  to  whom  rations  of 
ere  distributed.  Father  Gaetano,  who  had 
ucen  a  priest  for  four  months,  was  devoting  him- 
self with  his  whole  heart  to  that  good  work  when 
he  learned  that  he  was  wanted  at  the  children's 
hospital;  he  was  wet  with  perspiration,  fasting, 
and  for  six  hours  had  been  tormented  by  fever  ;  no 
matter— he  flew  to  his  dear  sick  children,  cured  or 
baptized  several  of  them  ;  but  ho  took  the  epide- 
mic and  died  of  it  in  eight  days. 

In  1853  it  is  his  brother  Kenc's  turn.  Pestilence 
had  followed  the  inundation  and  famine,  and  its 
victims  strewed  the  roads  of  Ngan-hoei.  Father 
Beno,  the  missionary  of  Ou-ho,  built  some  sheds  (0 
receive  the  vagrants,  and  labored  with  indefatigable 
energy  for  the  conversion  of  the  pagans,  enlight- 
ened by  so  manv  terrible  lessons  and  enticed  bv 
the  bait  of  Christian  charity  into  the  evangelical 
netg.  Here  is  what  Father  Bioullion  tells  us  of  his 
last  labors  and  his  holy  death,  wliich  made  so  deep 
an  impression  upon  Clerc  : 

"  A  witness  of  tho  fearful  suffering  caused  by 
the  scarcity  of  food,  ho  forgot  his  own  needs,  and, 
that  he  might  assist  a  greater  number  of  the  un- 
fortunates, denied  himself  all  but  what  was  abso- 
lutely necessary.  No  more  fruit,  no  more  meat,  no 
strengthening  beverage  graced  his  repasts  ;  once  a 


Shanghai  and  the  Jesuit  Mission.        291 


an  itt 
ilc  Uie 
Tom- 
iccived 
ons  of 
lO  had 
g  liim- 

iUlren's 
fasting, 
fcr  -,  no 
jured  or 
e  epide- 

pstilencc 

and  its 

Fatbcr 

sheds  to 

faligiihle 

enligtit- 

ticed  by 

langclical 

us  of  his 

Ic  so  deep 


Is ;  onco  a 


day  he  ate  a  little  rice  and  dried  herbs,  an  insuffi- 
cient and  unwholesome  diet,  but  which  he  re- 
proached himself  for  if  he  learned  that  some  poor 
wretch  in  tbe  neigbborhood  was  clying  of  hunger  ; 
he  would  tbon  niako  baste  to  send  him  the  dishes 
off  his  tabic,  happy  to  fast  to  save  a  fellow-crea- 
ture's life. 

*' During  a  six  monibs'  sojourn  in  Ou-ho  he 
preached  to  tbc  pagans  several  times  a  day.  A 
large  number  of  catechumens  were  granted  to  his 
zeal ;  he  baptized  as  many  as  tbirty-two  at  once, 
and  forty  oLbcrs  were  awaiting  tbe  same  grace 
when  he  fell  sick.  Seventy-two  children  collected 
by  his  efforts  were  confidtd  to  Christian  families, 
who  engaged  to  maintain  tbem.  In  tbe  meantime 
we  vainly  endeavored  to  send  him  aid  ;  he  was  at 
a  distance,  and  tbe  insurgent  army  of  Kuam-si 
closed  the  route.  Therefore  he  continued  to  im- 
pose upon  himself  new  privations  in  order  to  carry 
on  bis  work.  Labor  and  fasting  exhausted  his 
strength.  Forced  to  keep  his  bed,  be  no  longer 
got  up  c.\i;Li)t  to  celebrate  Mass.  Nevertbeless, 
being  sent  for  by  some  sick  persons  who  were  dying 
of  typhoid  fever,  ho  burned  to  their  assistance. 
This  was  bis  last  effort. 

"Tbc  next  morning  he  wanted  to  rise  again  to 
offer  the  Iloly  Sacrifice.  *  There  is  no  priest,'  he 
said,  *  whom  I  can  call  upon  to  give  me  tbe  Holy 
Viaticum.  I  must  myself  consecrate,  so  as  to  die 
in  the  arms  ot  our  Lord.'  But  bis  members  re- 
fused to  obey  him.  Yielding  to  the  entreaties  of 
his  catcchist,  he  consented  that  a  Chiistian  physi- 


5P 


ai 


^li:- 


" 


,1 


292 


Alexis  Clerc* 


"*>, 


W^ 


cian  slioulcl  be  called  ;  but  this  last,  delayed  by  tlie 
rains  and  the  inundation,  only  arrived  just  after 
the  father  had  taken  a  remedy  prepared  by  a  pagan. 
Either  from  the  effect  of  this  medicine  or  because 
the  disease  had  already  reached  its  final  stage,  the 
same  day  Father  Rene  fell  into  a  state  that  pre- 
ludes the  agony,  and  recovered  the  use  of  his 
tongue  only  in  his  last  hour. 

*^0n  the  vigil  of  St.  Mark's  his  countenance 
lighted  up  with  intense  happiness,  and,  fixing  a 
joyous  gaze  on  his  catechist,  as  if  to  communicate 
to  him  his  thoughts,  he  seemed  to  charge  him  with 
his  farewells  to  his  brothers  and  his  friends  in  the 
Society  of  Jesus.  The  following  day,  April  25, 
1853,  he  gave  up  his  soul  to  the  God  whose  glory 
he  had  procured  at  the  cost  of  his  life.  Ilis  suffer- 
ings, his  death,  his  prayers  inaugurated  the  pro- 
gress of  the  Gospel  in  Ngan-hoei,  even  as  the  de- 
Yotedness  cf  Brother  Sinoquet  and  of  the  Fathers 
Estcve,  Gaetano  (Massa),  and  Pacclli  was  a  seed 
of  salvation  for  Kianc:  sou." 

But  while  Clcrc  contemplates  with  an  envious 
eye  the  heroic  devoted ness  of  the  missionaries 
struggling  with  pestilence  and  famine,  behold  a 
new  scourge  is  let  loose  upon  the  miff^ion — the 
scourge  of  war — a  war  feebly  conducted,  and 
wherein  the  combatants  give  proof  of  little  disci- 
pline and  military  bravery,  but  for  that  reason  all 
the  more  fatal  to  the  inoffensive  populations  whom 
it  overruns  and  crushes  without  pity.  Fiom 
Shanghai,   where  the  approach  of  the  rebels  is 


Shanghai  and  the  Jesuit  Mission,        293 


)y  the 
uitei- 
)agan. 
realise 
;e,  the 
it  pi-e- 
of  his 

enanee 
ixing  a 
unicate 
m  with 
,  in  the 
)ril  25, 
se  glory 
s  suiler- 
,he  pro- 
the  de- 
Fathers 
a  seed 

envious 
ionaries 
ehold  a 
ion— the 
ed,    and 
le  disci- 
cason  all 
lis  whom 
Fiom 
rebels  is 


dreaded,  and  not  less,  perhaps,  that  of  tlie  impe- 
rialists, Clero  writes,  June  1  : 

"  My  dear  Father  :  Tlic  vessel  which  took  my 
last  letters  had  the  misfortune  to  he  lost  with  the 
mail.  My  package  was  a  good  big  one.  I  am 
going  to  try  to  repeat  its  contents  very  briefly. 

"The  great  affair  is  the  war  of  the  rebellion.  I 
think  I  have  already  told  you  how  a  band  of  men 
belonging  to  the  province  of  Kiang-si  passed  vic- 
toriously through  Kiang-si,  Canton,  Ilonan,  and 
Ilou-pe,  which  are  equal  to  four  countries  of  the 
siz3  of  France.*  Now  they  are  in  this  j)rovinco  of 
Kiang-nan,  masters  of  Nankin  and  Tchen-kiang- 
fou.  So  far  they  have  received  no  check  ;  but 
they  have  established  no  authority  in  the  countries 
they  have  traversed,  and  consequently  have  left 
them  thoroughly  disorganized,  driving  all  the  ma- 
gistrates away  and  building  up  nothing,  to  the 
triple  detriment  of  tlie  emperor,  of  themselves,  and 
especially  of  the  inhabitants.  But,  looking  at  tho 
immense  extent  of  territory  that  now  separates 
them  from  their  point  of  departure,  it  is  plain  that 
theirs  is  the  inevitable  alternative  of  conquering  or 
all  perishing.  The  number  of  these  rebels  is  very 
small  in  comparison  with  the  enterprise,  and  well- 
informed  persons  do  not  suppose  them  to  be  over 

*  Clerc  deceives  himself,  we  think.  The  rebels  started  from 
Kouang-si,  or  Western  Kouang,  adjoining  Kouang-tong  (Can- 
ton), or  Eastern  Kouang.  Therefore  our  missionaries  gene- 
rally call  them  Kuam-si-jen,  or  men  of  Kouaug-si  (Kuam  si, 
i^irtuguese  orthography)  ;  or,  quite  simply,  Kuamsinians. 
Kiang-si,  situated  between  Kouang-si  and  Kian^j-nan,  w^as  tho 
most  direct  route  the  i  isurrectiou  could  bavetakouto  reach 
Kankin.  ^ 


3,f 


w 


294 


Alexis  CI  ere. 


.  '■•S»  I 

4 


five  tliousancl.  How  can  a  handful  of  men  so  im- 
peril a  great  empire  ?  It  is  not  because  tliey  are 
better  armed,  more  able,  or  braver,  perhaps,  than 
the  emperor's  soldiers  ;  but  all  the  way  from  their 
own  province,  where  probably  they  were  more  nu- 
merous, they  have  had  no  veritable  resistance  to 
overcome,  and  their  adversaries  have  been  more 
nimble  in  flying  than  in  advancing, 

**  Assuredly,  if  the  mobiles  had  been  trans- 
ported* to  China  instead  of  California,  they  might 
have  conquered  the  empire.  It  is  astonishing  that 
there  does  not  spring  up  some  adventurer  to  thus 
try  his  fortune. 

'*  What  is  certain  is  that  this  empire  is  rotten  to 
the  core  in  its  rulers,  whose  corruption  and  greed 
are  the  scourge  of  the  people,  rendering  them  an 
easy  prey  for  the  first  who  will  undertake  to  sub- 
jugate them.  It  is  said  that  the  emperor  is  as- 
sembling all  he  has  left  of  Tartars  in  the  north  to 
march  to  exterminate  the  rebels.  There  is  little 
necessity  for  such  great  efforts ;  hut  the  positive 
fact  is  that  the  insurgents  are  left  in  quiet  posses- 
sion of  what  they  occupy.  They  on  their  side  have 
made  forced  levies,  and,  setting  one  of  their  own 
part}  over  every  twenty-tive  men,  try  to  make  sol- 
diers of  them. 

"  The  rebels  seem  to  me  to  have  small  chance  of 
success  ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  in  Kiang-si  (pro- 
bably Kouang-si)  a  new  uprising  is  talked  of,  and 
they  say  that  the  province  of  Canton  begins  to  be 


*  The  mobiles  had  been  mutinous.— Trans. 


SJianghai  and  the  Jesuit  Mission,        295 


)  im- 
y  arc 
than 
tlieir 

e  nu- 

ice  to 

more 

trans- 
might 
ig  that 
LO  thus 

itten  to 
1  greed 
[lem  an 
to  Enb- 
r  is  as- 
lorth  to 
is  little 
positive 
,  posses- 
ide  have 
eir  own 
ako  sol- 

lance  of 
-si  (pro- 
of, and 
ns  to  he 


extremely  alarmed.  Besides,  the  city  of  Amoy  has 
just  been  taken  from  the  mandarins  by  some  Chi- 
nese belonging  to  a  secret  society,  the  avengers  of 
a  member  of  the  society  who  was  unjustly  put  to 
death  three  years  ago  by  the  governor  of  that  city. 
Finally,  the  pirates,  more  numerous  than  ever, 
blockade  Fou-tcheou-fon,  the  capital  of  Fokien. 
Is  the  end  of  the  empire  at  hand  ?  I  do  not  think 
so.  The  history  of  China  presents  many  such 
critical  epochs.  How  unjust  would  the  complaints 
of  European  nations  appear  to  the  Chinese  !  To- 
day commerce  is  almost  susjiended  throughout 
China ;  you  arc  well  aware  in  France  that  the  Chi- 
nese are  an  entirely  commercial  peoi)le ;  the  ruin 
of  several  important  European  houses  is  also  nearly 
certain.  The  misery,  already  so  great,  goes  on  in- 
creasing beyond  all  proportion,  and  driving  the 
people,  perhaps,  to  every  excess.  Tins  populous 
empire  is  therefore  threatened  with  the  greatest 
misfortunes.  As  to  the  rebels  properly  so  called, 
the  uncertainty  about  them  has  appeared  up  to  the 
present  time  to  dictate  the  policy  of  the  European 
powers  in  their  regard.  The  governor-general  of 
the  double  province  of  Kiang-sou  and  Ngan-hoei, 
cr  Kiang-nan,  has,  in  the  name  of  the  emperor, 
asked  all  the  foreign  ministers  for  assistance 
against  the  rebels,  but  nothing  has  resulted  from 
his  request.  The  English  plenipotentiary.  Sir  G. 
Bouham,  has  been  to  Nankin,  has  communicated 
with  the  Kuamsmians,  and  has  brought  back  their 
proclamations  and  some  books  contaming  their  doc- 
trines.     He   treated   with   the  chiefs   under  the 


jt 


296 


Alexis  CI  err. 


^?^:^ 


% 


honorary  titles  they  assume — it  is  so  much  in  har- 
mony with  English  politics  to  encourage  all  revolu- 
tions; then,  after  that  exploit,  he  left  for  Hong- 
Kong  with  the  vessels  ho  brought  with  him. 

''The  American  minister  attempted  to  go  to 
Nankin,  but  the  vessel  ho  was  on  board  of  drew 
too  much  water;  since,  all  the  American  vessels 
have  left  for  the  Lieou-kieou  Islands,  the  last  ren- 
dezvous before  reaching  Japan,  whither  they  are 
bound  to  open  the  negotiation  so  long  talked  of." 

After  a  melancholy  reference  to  his  own  inac- 
tion, Olerc  adds  these  few  particulars  of  the  charac- 
ter of  the  insurrection  : 

"  The  rebels  affect  to  be  fulfilling  a  divine  mis- 
sion, and  pretend  that  they  blindly  obey  the  orders 
of  God.  Their  books  are  a  mixture  of  Protestant 
and  Mohammedan  notions  ;  they  seem  to  be  fatal- 
ists, prove  their  mission  by  their  success,  and  de- 
clare themselves  perfectly  resigned  to  yield  the  day 
they  shall  have  accomplished  their  destiny.  Per- 
haps Freemasonry  has  also  something  to  do  with 
their  plans.  The  secret  societies  play  a  certain 
part  in  these  countries,  especially  among  the  ex- 
patriated Chinese,  who  are  very  numerous  in  Eng- 
lish and  Dutch  Malacca. 

"  The  Christians  of  Nankin  have  had  to  suffer 
from  these  rebels  ;  some  have  been  called  upon  to 
join  the  army,  others  to  perform  some  religious  act 
contrary  to  the  faith.  Many  have  perished.  Still, 
it  is  not  yet  a  regular  persecution.  The  pagans 
have  also  perished  in  very  great  numbers.  Up  to 
the  present  the  Christians  have  been  badly  treated 


Shanghai  and  the  Jesuit  Mission.        297 


rl     fl 


ac- 


the  ex- 


bufc  wo  do  not  know  that  any  have  been  put  to 
death  solely  on  account  of  their  religion.  Never- 
theless, the  insurgents  have  done  enough  to  pre- 
vent us  from  wishing  them  any  success." 

A  letter  from  ^Igr.  Maresca  gives  more  details  of 
this  beginning  of  persecution,  and  concludes  in 
these  terms  :  "Of  the  six  hundred  Christians  we 
counted  in  the  cities  of  Nankin,  Yang-tcheou,  and 
Tchen-Kiang,  fifty  have  been  massacred  or  burned, 
and  several  have  been  bound  and  beaten.  The 
greater  number  have  lost  everything,  and  arc  now 
captives,  exposed  to  all  kinds  of  dangers  to  soul 
and  body." 

There  was  not  the  least  doubt  but  that  a  suffi- 
cient motive  for  armed  intervention  could  be 
found  in  such  facts. 

Therefore  Clerc  restrains  himself  no  longer ; 
since  he  cannot  act  he  must  speak,  and  his  words 
will  be  heard  in  Paris  even  in  the  office  of  a  minis- 
ter. 

In  the  first  days  of  July,  on  board  the  Cassinij 
which  was  then  at  anchor  near  Castel  Peak,  a  little 
distance  from  Shanghai,  he  takes  his  pen  and 
begins  to  write  at  the  most  rapid  rate  a  "  Note 
oil  our  Position  in  China,  in  Cochin  China,  and  in 
Corea,  and  on  the  Part  we  might  Play  in  those 
Countries."  The  opening  paragraphs  breathe  the 
loftiest  sentiments.     I  quote  : 

"Prance,  obedient  to  the  duty  of  a  state  not  to 
suffer  great  events  which  do  not  actually  touch  its 
interests  to  transpire  in  the  world  without  mani- 


..:W  ■; 


'<• .. 

•d. 


ii 


festing 


its    presence,   and   without  reserving  its 


298 


Alexis  Clerc. 


•."*,• 

,-!,:ii       - 
'••• 

^w- 

! 


rights  "when  it  does  not  actually  assert  them — 
France,  over  since  the  opium  war,  maintains  ia 
Chinese  waters  naval  vessels  which  the  protection 
of  her  commerce  does  not  seem  to  require.  Yet, 
should  the  line  of  conduct  marked  out  for  our 
diplomatic  agents  and  our  military  commanders  bo 
dictated  only  by  that  somewhat  vague  and  indefi- 
nite idea  ?  Let  us  also  obey  that  mysterious  in- 
stinct which  for  thirty  years  has  been  directing  the 
attention  of  civilized  nations  to  China  ;  let  us  also 
bo  prepared  to  play  in  that  country  Vi  role  in 
harmony  with  our  national  character  and  capabili- 
ties. If  the  growing  influence  of  England  and  the 
United  States  is  duo  to  their  commerce,  why 
should  not  ours,  in  the  want  of  that  basis,  bo 
founded  upon  our  arms  enforcing  justice  ?  France 
does  not  derive  the  least  of  the  splendor  of  her 
military  glory  from  the  wars  she  has  waged  with- 
out securing:  material  gain,  and  she  scorns  a  policy 
that  would  draw  the  sword  only  to  dictate  com- 
mercial treaties. 

"  The  empires  of  these  vast  regions  are  often  the 
theatre  of  unforeseen  catastrophes  ;  palace  revolu- 
tions are  frequent.  Everybody  knows  how  the 
Bishop  of  Adran  conquered  to  our  country  a 
powerful  and  deserved  influence  in  Cochin  China  ; 
circumstances  more  or  less  similar  may  frequently 
present  themselves,  and  it  is  important  that  our 
representatives  should  be  able  to  profit  by  them. 
At  all  events,  the  desire  for  a  large  share  of  influ- 
ence is  not  in  this  case  the  inspiration  only  of  nation- 
al pride,  and  although  such  an  ambition  be  irrepre- 


SJtangJiai  and  the  Jisuit  Mission.        299 


lifnsible  in  itself,  it  is  justified  by  a  nobler  motive. 
From  Tartary  almost  to  the  peninsula  of  Malacca 
numerous  missionaries  of  our  faith,  and  nearly  all 
Frenchmen,  are  evangelizing  these  immense  and 
unfortunate  regions.  France  is  the  natural  i)ro- 
Icctorofall;  the  European  nations  recognize  the 
honor  and  charge  as  hers,  and  by  a  tradition  which 
is  indestructible — since  times  so  d'sastrous  to  us 
have  not  destroyed  it — these  people  turn  their  eyes 
to  her  who  in  their  sufferings  they  lose  all  other 
hope." 

Oleic  is  of  the  opinion  that  by  prudent  manage- 
ment a  protection  may  be  extended  to  religion  that 
will  be  "neiihcr  an  armed  proselytism  of  the  peo- 
ple, nor  a  usurpation  of  the  authority  of  the 
princes."  And  thereupon  he  undertakes  to  exa- 
mine into  the  condition  of  those  three  empires  of 
the  extreme  East — China,  Cochin  China,  and  Corca. 

His  views  on  Cochin  China,  in  particular,  have  a 
justness  which  must  cause  them  to  be  accepted 
sooner  or  later,  and  whatever  may  have  been  tho 
fate  of  his  note,  we  recognize  in  it  the  thought  that 
dictated  the  course  of  the  government  wlien  it 
finally  decided  to  send  to  those  countries  sulTicient 
forces  to  gain  a  footing  and  found  a  lasting  estab- 
lishment. 

"Still  more  recent  treaties  grant  us  important 
previleges  in  Cochin  China  ;  we  might  Justly  claim 
the  ownership  cf  Tourania,  ceded  to  France  by  the 
Emperor  Kia-long.  Admiral  Cecile  failed  in  his 
attempt  to  renew  our  relations  with  that  empire, 
lately  our  friend  and  ally.     Admiral  Lapierre  wa^ 


ftir 

'» I. 


J_. 


300 


Alexis  Clcrc. 


I 


obliged  to  repel  by  foico  the  answer  which  was 
prepared  for  that  s  imc  demand.  If  Captain  L  i- 
pierre,  who  in  this  matter  so  nobly  braved  the  dis- 
grace which  a  certain  shade  of  public  opinion 
would  surely  inflict  uj)onhim,  had  served  a  govern- 
ment like  the  one  that  has  lately  rewarded  his  ser- 
vices, he  would  undoubtedly,  after  the  desf ruction 
of  the  Cochin  Chinese  fleet,  have  imposed  a  treaty 
on  the  vanquished  nation,  and  Franco  would  not 
have  allowed  the  executioner's  axe  to  strike  by  or- 
der of  a  blind  and  cruel  prince  her  noble  children, 
Scheffler  and  Bonnard,  martyred  for  the  faith  while 
French  vessels  were  cruising  along  the  coasts  or 
were  fruitlessly  stationed  at  Macao." 

This  was  using  noble  language  and  speaking 
plain  French.  But  when  Clerc's  note  reached  the 
oflice  of  the  minister,  for  it  did  arrive  there,* 
the  government  was  occupied  with  quite  an- 
otlier  affair — namely,  the  Crimean  expedition. 
Permit  us  to  here  add  a  detail  which  we  have  from 
good  authority.  After  the  taking  of  Sebastopol  it 
was  desired  to  learn  what  had  been  the  rule  of  the 
Bishop  of  Adran,  and  what  rights  resulted  to 
France  from  the  alliance  formed  between  King 
Louis  XVI.  and  the  Emperor  of  Cochin  China. 
At  the  request  of  persons  in  high  position,  a  new 
note  was  drawn  up  in  Paris,  and  it  was  transmitted 
by  Baron  Cauchy,  the  illustrious  geometrician,  to 
Marshal  Vaillant,  his  confrere  in  the  Academy  of 
Sciences,  at  the  institute  one  day  when,  as  usual, 

♦  It  is  marked  M'ith  a  stamp  bearing  these  words  :  "Navy 
and  Colonies.    Office  of  the  minister,  Ncvember  3,  1853.'' 


ShangJiai  and  the  Jesuit  Mission. 


>alit 


"Navy 

i3.'' 


tlicy  cccupicd  neighboring  chairs.  This  was  tho 
only  placo  where  these  two  men,  wliose  faith  and 
politics  were  so  different,  could  meet  and  to  a  certain 
point  understand  one  another.  Several  years  be- 
fore his  death  Clerc  saw  the  accomplishment  of  a 
wish  that  was  so  dear  to  his  heart,  and  we  may 
judge  of  the  joy  he  must  have  felt  when  in  his  re- 
treat he  learned  that  the  French  flag  floated  over 
tho  walls  of  Saigon. 

While  the  role  of  France  thus  appeared  to  him 
in  all  its  grandeur,  and  he  endeavored  to  kindle 
afar  the  fire  with  which  his  noble  heart  was  burn- 
ing, he  was,  to  his  great  dislike,  obliged  to  leave 
Shanghai  once  more,  but  not  without  the  hope  of 
returning  ;  he  could  not  imagine  that  the  Cassini 
would  not  be  employed  in  protecting  the  Christian 
settlements  of  Kiang-nan  and  the  European  inter- 
ests so  closely  threatened  by  the  insurgents.  He 
wrote  from  IIong-Kong  July  23:  "  The  Cassini  is 
repairing  her  boilers,  and  probably  by  the  end  of 
August  we  will  be  in  such  good  trim  that  our 
cruise  may  easily  be  prolonged  another  two  years. 
Now,  if  France  decides  to  interfere  in  China,  it  is 
hard  for  me  to  believe  that  the  Cassini  will  not  be 
used,  since  she  is  on  the  spot  and  will  be  ready  for 
all  the  various  services  that  can  be  expected  from 
a  steam  vessel.  Consequently  I  defer  all  hope  of 
returning  home,  and  fix  no  limit  to  our  stay  here. 
The  vessels  that  are  to  relieve  those  now  at  the 
station  have  left  France,  the  Constantine  on  the 
Gth  of  February,  and  the  Colbert  at  the  beginning 
of  March.     The  Constantine  is  expected  daily,  and 


I 


302 


Alexis  Clcrc. 


•■» 


;f 


t 


h 

•' 

''•\ 

« 

1 1 

on  licr  arrival  tlio  Capricicusc  will  leave."  In 
short,  he  would  willinf>ly  have  soeii  the  cruise, 
Avhich  had  already  lasted  nearly  three  years,  con- 
tinued one  or  two  years  more.  Behold  how  an 
ambition  loftier  than  that  ho  obeyed  on  entering 
the  navy  attached  him  to  a  career  from  which  lio 
no  longer  expected  aught  for  himself,  but  which 
was  always  noble  and  grand  in  his  eyes  when  it  be- 
came the  auxiliary  of  civilization,  or,  to  usa  the 
right  word,  of  Christian-ty  ! 

In  the  course  of  September  the  Cassini  was  an- 
chored in  the  Taipa  two  miles  from  Macao,  when 
Mr.  de  Plas  received  from  the  French  charge 
cTciffaircs  an  invitation  to  come  as  quickly  as  possi- 
ble to  Shanghai,  where  the  European  establish- 
ments were  in  the  greatest  danger.  The  vessel's 
repairs  were  not  finished,  but  the  commander  did 
not  hesitate ;  he  starLed  the  next  day,  and  early  in 
October  was  at  his  new  post, 

Tiiis  is  what  had  transpired  during  the  Cassinfs 
absence  from  Shanghai  :  On  the  7th  of  September, 
at  the  moment  it  was  least  expected,  the  city  was 
invaded  by  a  band  of  men  in  red  garments  and 
armed  with  guns,  sabres,  and  clubs.  Before  day- 
break they  arc  masters  of  the  gates,  and  at  sunrise 
they  already  occupy  the  tribunals  and  the  princi- 
pal guard-houses.  Some  mandarins  are  killed, 
others  flee  ;  the  soldiers,  to  the  number  of  a  thou- 
sand perhaps,  hide  so  successfully  that  not  a  singlo 
one  is  to  be  seen.  At  nine  o'clock  there  is  a  crv  in 
the  streets  that  the  people  have  nothing  to  fear  ; 
posters  appear  on  the  walls ;  they  read  that  any 


Shanghai  ami  the  Jesuit  Mission.        303 


attempt  on  property  will  bo  punisliod  with  ileath. 
And  in  fact  several  wretches  convicted  of  theft 
were  beheaded.  Thus  everything  was  performed 
in  imitation  of  the  groat  capitals  of  Europe  ;  our 
Chinese  rioters  proved  accomplished  masters  of  tho 
art,  and  there  remained  but  little  for  them  to  learn 
before  they  might  cease  envying  tho  practised,  re- 
volutionists of  Paris. 

Scarcely  arrived,  the  commander  of  tho  Cassiniy 
conjointly  with  the  Frcncli  consul,  takes  efficacious 
measures  for  the  protection  of  the  national  estab- 
lishments. Every  evening  a  guard  of  sailors  is 
sent  to  the  consulate,  and  some  men  are  detached 
to  Tom-ka-tou  and  Shanghai.  Tho  Frencli  flag  is 
raised  on  the  Jesuit  Fathers'  house  at  Tom-ka-tou  ; 
if  it  is  lowered  it  will  be  a  signal  of  distress. 

The  rebels — a  collection  of  Fokienese  and  Can- 
tonese— were  shut  up  in  the  fortified  portion  of 
the  city,  wlience  they  defied  the  imperialists  with 
an  audacity  increased  by  the  cowardice  of  their  ad- 
versaries. It  is  suspected  that  they  were  secretly 
aided  by  Europeans  clever  enough  to  direct  the 
movement  and  interested  in  the  success  of  the  in- 
surrection. 

The  commander  of  the  Cassini  relates  to  us  a 
tragicomic  incident  in  which  Clerc,  always  ready 
for  a  self-sacrifice,  gave  proof  of  his  presence  of 
mind  and  his  habitual  coolness: 

"In  the  month  of  November  a  Chinese  fleet  was 
ordered  to  cannonade  the  city,  and  took  up  a  posi- 
tion near  Tom-ka-tou,  just  so  as  to  draw  the  firing 
of  the  insurgents  in  the  direction  of  the  cathedral 


1      .• 


1 


304 


Alexis  Clcrc, 


Sfe: 


H'M 


W, 


tf 


■■iSr 


"I 

■,: :  111  i;! 


and  the  principal  residence  of  the  Fathers.  The 
signal  flag  was  lowered.  After  having  deliberated 
before  God,  the  commander  sent  Alexis  Clerc  in 
the  longboat  to  learn  what  was  going  on,  and  to 
put  a  stop  to  the  firing  in  tliat  part  of  the  city,  if 
need  be.  Clerc  set  out.  Tiie  boat  was  saluted 
with  a  few  balls,  which  ni'ght  very  well  not  have 
been  exactly  intended  for  it,  and  it  arrived  atTora- 
ka-tou,  where  Father  Lemaitre  (since  superior-gene- 
ral of  the  mission)  did  not  hesitate  to  offer  himself 
to  treat  with  the  Chinese  admiral.  That  dignitary 
was  found  at  the  bottom  of  the  hold  of  his  sliip, 
the  noise  of  the  cannon  being  particularly  dis- 
agreeable to  him.  lie  was  made  to  understand 
that  if  lie  continued  to  menace,  or  to  cause  to  be 
menaced,  the  residence  of  Tom-ka-tou  by  flring  on 
the  ramparts  of  the  city,  tlie  French  commander 
would  interpose  with  his  cannon.  Far  from,  being 
displeased,  the  admiral  received  this  summons  with 
joy,  and  gave  Lieutenant  Clerc  and  Father  Lemai- 
tre carte  UancJia  to  warn  the  little  vessels  of  his 
fleet.  The  captains  shared  their  admiral's  satis- 
faction, and  promptly  vacated  the  position.  Cour- 
nge,  seconded  by  extreme  good  humor  in  L'eutenant 
Clerc  and  F.ither  Lemaitre,  must  have  produced  a 
great  effect  upon  the  Chinese,  for  the  balls  could 
just  as  easily  have  struck  the  negotiators  as  the 
combatants." 

Clerc  decided  that  those  sorry  imperialists  were 
of  no  great  account;  still,  d'sgraccd  as  they  were 
in  his  eyes,  he  preferred  them  to  the  rebels,  consi- 
dering them  to  be  after  all  the  representatives  of 


Shanghai  and  the  Jesuit  Mission.        305 


established  order,  and  the  defenJers,  sucli  as  they 
were,  of  a  regular  government.  lie  wrote  to 
Father  Broallion,  who  was  then  in  France  attending 
to  the  business  of  the  mission  :  "  Chinese  pride, 
hardy  as  you  know  it  to  be,  cannot  altogether  sur- 
vive such  assaults.  The  incredible  cowardice  and 
tiie  still  more  incredible  stupidity  of  the  attacks 
the  imperialists  make  on  the  city  are  a  cause  of 
confusion  to  themselves,  and  the  fathers  in  dealing 
with  them  really  find  them  no  longer  the  same 
men.  A  few  such  lessons  and  there  will  be  no 
more  of  that  contempt  with  which  they  have  re- 
garded all  foreigners  to  struggle  against.  This 
consideration,  which  is  certainly  of  great  weight, 
seems  to  me  a  reason  for  looking  at  the  revolts  less 
unfavorably,  albeit  they  are  but  the  involuntary 
cause  of  this  good.  On  the  other  hand,  we  have 
learned  from  the  letter  Mgr.  Mouly  writes  you  that 
in  Pekin  the  Christians  have  been  joersecuted  and 
the  cross  has  been  torn  down.  Father  Rene's 
(Massa)  catcchist  has  confessed  the  faith  in 
tortures,  and,  on  the  point  of  being  put  to  death, 
he  saved  his  life  through  the  protection  of  a  man- 
darin whom  he  had  converted.  As  for  me,  I 
would  still  prefer  to  lay  violent  hands  on  the  re- 
bels ;  but  that  h  out  of  the  question  ;  the  plan  is 
to  act  always  as  though  wc  were  in  Europe,  and  to 
be  governed  by  an  international  law  that  is  some- 
what fantastic  with  its  scruple  about  equity."* 


■li:.- 
Kllf 


*  Letter  of  November  1, 1853,  publisbed  by  Father  Broullion 
in  his  "Memoir  on  the  l^rt,'sent  Conditlou  of  the  Mission 
of  Kiang-nan."    Pari?,  1S55,  \).  334. 


3o6 


Alexis  CIcrc. 


'♦ 


'I 


Opinicns  were  very  much  dividecl.  People  knew 
very  well  what  to  think  of  the  Fokieneso  and  the 
Cantonese  that  occupied  Shanghai — regular  ban- 
dits skilfully  organized  for  pillage  ;  but  the  rebels 
of  Kouang-si,  masters  of  Xankin,  enjoyed  from  afar 
off  more  prestige,  and  it  was  asked  if  they  were  not 
achieving  a  great  revolution  to  the  advantage  of 
Chinese  nationality  ;  for,  it  must  not  be  forgotten, 
the  reigning  dynasty  was  of  Tartar  race,  dated  only 
from  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century,  and 
established  itself  only  by  conquest.  Among  the 
Europeans  whose  good  wishes  were  with  the  insur- 
rection some  pretended  that  the  accession  of  Tai- 
ping,  the  emperor  of  the  Kuam-si-jen,  could  not 
fail  to  inaugurate  an  era  of  religious  liberty.  The 
fact  is,  the  partisans  of  that  mysterious  and  ex- 
tremely cunning  personage  loudly  proclaimed  them- 
selves as  the  exterminators  of  idolatry,  and  placed 
in  the  number  of  their  religious  books  a  translation 
of  St.  Matthew  and  some  fragments  of  the  Bible. 
On  the  other  hand,  they  had  torn  down  crosses, 
persecuted  and  put  to  death  a  certain  number  of 
Christians;  their  chiefs,  it  was  said,  practised 
l)olygamy,  which  did  not  promise  a  very  sincere 
respect  for  evangelical  morality,  and  did  little 
credit  to  the  Puotcstant  ministers,  some  of  whom 
boasted  of  having  been  the  originators  of  the  move- 
ment. What  should  be  thought  of  them  ?  Should 
the  insurgents,  who  were  already  marching  on 
Pekin,  be  regarded  seriously  and  ranked  as  bellige- 
rents by  the  representatives  of  the  European 
powers  ?   It  was  worth  the  while  to  be  enlightened 


I 


Shanghai  and  the  Jestiit  Mission.        307 

about  this,  and  it  was  decided  to  go  to  Nankin  to 
investigate  matters,  so  as  to  take  sides  understand- 

Therefore,  at  ilio  end  of  November  "Commander 
de  Phis  receives  on  board  tlie  Cassini  Mr.  de  Bour- 
boulon,  Minister  Plenipotentiary  of  France  ;  Mme. 
de  Bourboulon,  Mr.  de  Courcj,  secretary  of  the  lega- 
tion, and  their  suite.  At  the  request  of  Mr.  Edan, 
consul  ad  interim  (Mr.  de  Montigny  having  left 
for  France),  two  Jesuits,  Fathers  Gotteland  and 
C!avelin,  are  named  to  accompany  the  expedi- 
tion. 

The  anchor  is  weighed  ;  the  Yapg-tse-kiang  is 
ascended.     The   draught  of    the  vessel  and   the 
moving  sandbanks  necessitate  a  careful  advance; 
the  travellers  have  leisure  to  gaze  at  the  beautiful 
river,  the  second  in  the  world,  the  mouth  of  which 
is  nearly  thirty  leagues  wide.    About  noon  of  the 
3d  of  December  they  pass  Kiang-iu,  a  city  of  the 
third  order,  formerly  the  centre  of  numerous  Chris- 
tian settlements,  nothing  of  which  remains  but  the 
ruins.     On  the  5th  they  arc  at  Tchen-kiang-fou,  a 
city  of  the  second  order,  whoso  port  is  formed  by 
the  Isle  of  Gold  and  the  Isle  of   Silver.    Those 
charming  places,  ravaged  by  civil  war,  offer  only 
de?olation  to  the  beholder.     Finally,  on  tlie  Gth, 
they  uro  in  sight  of  Nankin.   The  Cassini  had  met 
two  fleets  of  from  two  to  three  hundred  sails  witli- 
out  experiencing  any  liostile  demonstration.   Here, 
for  the  first  time,  the  report  of  a  cannon  comes 
from  a  battery  protected  by  the  ramparts,  and  a 
ball  hisses  past  the  cars  of  the  new  arrivals.     They 


1-  ■  i 


3o8 


Alexis  Clcrc. 


*1 


ii 


awuifc  a  second  sliofc  before  responding;  it  is  not 
fired,  and  the  explanations,  wliicli  tlieymake  haste 
to  demand,  are  given  in  the  politest  manner.  They 
are  satisfied  fvitli  them. 

I  will  not  speak  of  the  interviews  of  the  French 
legation  with  the  ministers  of  tlie  Emperor  Tai- 
ping  ;  Fatlier  Chivelin  has  left  a  jiicturesque  and 
animated  description  of  them  in  a  letter  published 
by  Father  Bronllion.*  Mr.  de  Courcy,  who  was 
present,  says  nothing  about  them  in  his  volume 
entitled  *'  L'Empire  du  Milieu."  In  short,  the 
result  was  little,  if  not  nothing  at  all.  Clerc  an- 
ticipated this  from  the  commencement,  and  on  the 
return  of  the  expedition  he  cpngratulated  himseK' 
that  French  diplomacy  had  escaped  the  danger  of 
compromising,  by  treating  with  the  rebels,  its  own 
dignity  and  the  security  of  the  Christians  evan- 
gelized by  our  missionaries.  But  he  had  been 
profoundly  moved  by  the  spectacle  of  desolation 
offered  by  that  immense  city  of  Nankin,  and  some 
time  afterwards  he  wrote  :  "  We  walked  through 
a  very  great  part  of  it,  and  we  saw  neither  an  arti- 
san working  at  his  trade  nor  a  merchant  engaged 
in  liis  traffic.  All  the  houses  were  more  or  less 
dilapidated,  and,  an  extraordinary  thing,  those 
even  that  were  inhabited  had  not  been  repaired  ; 
the  doors  and  windows  were  still  hanging  to  the 
hinges,  but  were  not  secured  !  In  my  opinion  there 
is  no  longer  any  right  of  property  recognized  in 
Nankin,  and  communism  is  realized  to  their  hearts' 

*  "Memoir  on  the  Present  State  of  the  Mission  of  Kiang- 
nan."    Appendix,  p.  837. 


Shanghai  and  the  Jesuit  Mission. 


309 


ged 
less 
lose 
ed  ; 

tlie 
here 
3(1  in 
arts' 

liang- 


cmtciit  by  the  experimenters.  The  women,  sepa- 
rated from  their  families,  even  from  their  husbands, 
are  in  little  bands  penned  up  in  the  houses  of  one 
quarter;  they  are  under  the  surveillance  of  one  of 
their  number,  who  exercises  an  almost  military 
authority.  As  to  the  men — wlicthcr  it  was  that 
the  inhabitants  of  Nankin  had  taken  flight,  or 
that  it  had  been  preferred  to  send  thcni  to  the 
field  in  order  to  make  more  sure  of  the  city — nearly 
all  those  we  saw  were  very  young  and  generally 
natives  of  other  provinces. 

"All  those  youtlis  were  richly  clothed  in  still  new 
silk  garments  j  but  I  was  more  saddened  by  that 
luxury  than  I  would  have  been  by  poverty,  for  it 
is  the  result  of  enormous  pillage  and  of  the  prodi- 
gality that  belongs  to  brigandage. 

"  One  can  only  feel  the  greatest  pity  for  this 
unfortunate  nation  oppressed  by  two  powers,  each 
as  bad  as  the  other. 

*' These  people  were  created  to  live  under  the 
yoke,  and  if  they  had  the  happiness  of  being  sub- 
jects of  a  good  government  they  would  not  dream 
of  revolt,  for,  bad  enough  as  that  of  the  Tartars  is, 
nobody  is  anxious  to  welcome  the  new  future  dy- 
nasty. 

"  Europe  is  ignorant  of  her  power,  and  has  no 
longer  enough  of  the  spirit  of  chivalry  to  care 
about  doing  noble  deeds  outside  of  her  ow  1  terri- 
tory. If  these  were  the  days  of  Magellan  and  Cor- 
tez  it  would  be  deemed  a  joy  to  do  as  much  as 
possible  for  all  these  people  seated  in  the  shadow 
of  death." 


!.q 


310 


Alexis  Clerc. 


^8 


:»ae» 


"i^;?*'  8- 


f^'/i 


On  the  18th  of  December,  at  noon,  the  Cassi?ii 
again  cast  auclior  before  Shanghai. 

*^  Thus  our  Nankin  expedition,"  Father  Clave- 
lin  writes,  "was  over.  Nevertheless,  I  had  to 
prolong  my  stay  on  shipboard,  because  our  good 
commander  desired  very  much  to  have  a  priest  on 
board  the  Cassi)ii  iov  the  sclemnity  of  Christmas. 
Christmas  eve  we  heard  the  cannon  rumbling  far 
into  the  night ;  a  ball  even  fell  in  our  midst. 
Yet,  at  the  moment  of  beginning  Mass,  which  all 
the  ship's  company  was  present  at,  there  was  a 
perfect  silence ;  this,  joined  to  the  recollection  of 
the  assistants,  to  the  novelty  of  the  spectacle,  to 
the  sentiments  inherent  in  such  a  festival,  and, 
finally,  to  the  sight  of  the  commander,  of  four  of- 
ficers, and  several  non-commissioned  officers  and 
sailors  coming  forward  to  receive  with  the  piety 
which  distinguished  them  Holy  Communion  in 
presence  of  the  entire  assembly — all  that  made,  I 
say,  a  profound  impression  upon  me,  and  that  feast 
will  never  be  obliterated  from  my  memory.*' 

The  next  day  was  devoted  to  the  performance 
of  an  act  of  necessary  justice.  Two  catechists  of 
the  mission,  seized  by  the  rebels,  had  been  treated 
as  spies,  and  one  of  them  cruelly  tortured.  The 
commander  of  the  Colbcrl,  recently  arrived  from 
France  to  replace  the  Cassmi,  exacted  a  repara- 
tion  ;  he  was  ready,  in  case  of  refusal,  to  discharge 
his  guns.  The  reparation  was  made.  Lion,  chief 
of  the  rebels,  sent  the  guilty  man  with  execution- 
ers. A  pardon  was  granted ;  the  Chinese  were 
known  to  be  capable  of  anything  ;  more  than  once 


II 


Shanghai  and  the  Jesuit  Mission. 


^11 


nance 
ts  of 

eated 
The 
from 

spara- 

barge 
cliief 

ution- 
^vere 

11  once 


on  similar  occasions  they  had  yielded  np  tlio  inno- 
cent in  place  of  the  guilty.  These  proceedings,  as 
generous  as  they  were  firm,  had  an  excellent  effect 
boili  for  the  honor  of  the  French  flag  and  the  con- 
siJeniLion  shown  to  those  over  whom  it  extended 
its  efficacious  jirotrction. 

"  It  is  thus,"  says  Father  Clavelin,'*'  that,  thanks 
to  the  representatives  of  France,  we  enjoy  a  per- 
fect, and,  under  the  circumstances,  truly  extraor- 
dinary tranquillity.     May  it  always  continue." 

It  was  not  fitting  to  interrupt  the  recital  of  the 
services  rendered  by  the  Cassini  to  the  mission  of 
Kiang-nan  and  the  European  establishments  of 
Shanghai  ;  consequently  we  bave  so  far  shown  our 
hero  only  in  his  life  of  action,  reserving  to  our- 
selves to  afterwards  make  known  the  interior  labor 
to  wbicli  he  devoted  himself  that  be  might  be 
firmly  decided  on  bis  vocation  when  he  should 
return  to  Fnuice.  It  was  the  great  affair  be  bad 
already  a  first  time  treated  of  with  Father  de  Ra- 
vignau,  and  witb  which  he  desired  to  occupy  him- 
self anew  in  the  residence  of  Zi-ka-wei,  under  the 
direction  of  an  eminent  and  boly  missionary.  Fa- 
ther L mguiilat,  now  administrator  of  the  diocese 
of  Nankin. 

Therefore,  shortly  before  the  Cc/ssini's  depar- 
ture for  Nankin  he  put  himself  in  retreat;  be 
made  the  "  Spiritual  Exercises"  fervently,  and  pro- 
ceeded with  all  deliberation  to  tbat  important  act 
of  the  choice  cf  a  state  of  life,  to  the  election,  to 
use  the  language  of  the  *' Exercises."  For  this  St. 
Ignatius  gives  rules  of  admirable   wisdom,   and 


312 


Alexis  ClevSo 


^>^l 
'-»•* 


.% 


I 

* 


which,  fiiitlifully  observed,  render  a  misfcako  im- 
possible, so  to  speak.  The  first  and  principal  is 
that  the  eye  of  our  intention  bo  simple  ;  that  we 
have  no  object  other  than  the  glory  of  God  and 
the  salvation  of  our  soul  ;  that  our  choice  tend 
solely  to  the  attainment  of  tliat  object.  Did  Clerc 
observe  this  rule  well  ?  We  shall  be  able  to  judge; 
he  brought  from  Zi-ka-wci  the  sbcet  on  which  he 
put  in  writing  the  determining  motives  of  his  elec- 
tion, and  we  have  it  before  us  ;  we  will  make  some 
extracts  of  what  is  most  characteristic. 

Proceeding  systematically,  he  successively  lays 
down  four  questions,  which  he  examines  and  re- 
solves in  the  following  manner  : 

"Must  I  aim  at  perfcctiou  '  * 


1.  This  is   not  necessary 
to  salvation. 

2.  It  is,  perhaps,  bej'ond 
my  power  of  perseverauce. 


1.  It  is  a  much  surer  way 
of  attaining  it. 

2.  Nothing  is  impossible 
to  God  ;  the  days  pass  one 
by  one. 

3.  Not  to  underlako  is 
to  be  already  beaten  witl  o  it 
fighting,  especially  if  the 
matter  has  been  reflected 
upon. 

4.  It  is  nobler. 

5.  It  is  more  pleasing  to 
our  Lord. 

G.  The  interior  voice  of 
conscience  reproaching  me 
for  relaxations  which  are  not 

*  We  need  net  remark  that  the  left-hand  column  contains 
the  reasons  against,  and  the  right-hand  column  tho  reasons 
for  an  cfflrmative  answer  to  the  questions. 


3.  If  my  courage  fails  in 
an  undertaking  which  is 
not  necessary,  it  will  there- 
by be  much  weakened  for 
what  is  absolutely  necessary. 


ShcingJiai  and  the  Jesuit  lilission.        3 1 3 


li 

1! 


im- 
al  is 
t  we 

and 
tend 
Clcrc 
udgc; 
z\\  lie 
s  tlcc- 
j  some 

,y  lays 
,nd  rc- 


.rcr  way 

possible 
ias3  one 

rlaUfi  is 
wltl  o  It 
if  the 
reflected 


jasing  to 

voice  of 
hing  me 
ch  are  not 

n  contains 
10  reasC)ns 


sins,  is  the  voice  of  our 
Lord  jealous  of  my  perfec- 
tion. 

7.  Our  Lord  vomits  the 
tepid  out  of  his  mouth. 

8.  lie  to  whom  more  has 
been  forgiven  owes  more 
gratitude. 

"  Therefore  I  ought  to  aim  at  perfection,  and  I  will. 


"  Must  I  enter  the  religious  state  in  order  to  aim  ai;  per- 
fection ? 


1.     I    must    provide    for 
my  father's  wants. 


1.  My  brother  Jules  will 
gladly  do  this  by  himself. 
I  will  also  be  able  to  leave 
my  father  sonic  of  my  sav- 
ings of  this  cruise. 

3.  I  experience  a  great 
weariness  which  ncitLor  ser- 
vice on  shore  nor  at  sea 
drives  away. 

3.  It  seems  to  me  im- 
possible xiot  to  be  con- 
taminated by  the  social  life 

on  board  ship. 

4.  It    is   an  except iou  to 

find  the  helps  of  religion  on 
shipboird. 

5.  I  have  no  particular 
attraction  for  my  calling  ; 
so  far  my  career  does  not 
bind  mo. 

6.  Our  Lord  gives  me 
strength  to  embrace  without 
difhculty  poverty  and  chasti- 
ty ;  it  is  imprudent  to  risk 
these  gifts  in  the  world. 


e- 


1^; 


II 


314 


Alexis  Clerc, 


7.  Tending  to  perfection 
in  Ihc  world  would  be  a  sin- 
gular vocation  ;  the  experi- 
ence of  these  last  four  years 
proves  that  it  would  be  a 
fault  to  wait  longer. 

8.  1  have  already  lost  in 
the  matter  of  charity. 

9.  There  is  no  perfec- 
tion without  obedience. 

10.  It  is  evident  to  me 
that  in  religion  one  is  much 
more  useful  to  himself  and 
others. 

11.  It  is  the  royal  road. 

12.  How  can  I  help  fore- 
seeing the  assaults  of  vain- 
glory that  will  follow  the 
most  ordinary  advancement 
in  my  career. 

13.  It  is  the  haven. 

14.  It  has  been  for  four 
years  the  more  or  less  de- 
finite term  to  which  I  have 
aspired. 

*' Therefore  I  ought  to  enter  the  religious  state,  and  I  will. 


i: 


I 


"  What  religious  order  must  I  choose  ? 

1.  The  Society  of  Jesus  is 
the  most  numerous  and  the 
most  securely  established  in 
France. 

3.  In  it  one  has  less  rea- 
son to  pretend  to  a  distin- 
guished position. 

3.  It  embraces  all  good 


Shanghai  and  the  Jesuit  Mission,        3 1 5 


jction 
ti  fein- 
xpcri- 
3' ears 
.  be  a 

lost  in 

perfcc- 
;e. 

to  mc 
s  much 
eU  and 

road. 
Ip  fore- 
3f  vain- 
low  tlie 
acement 

I. 

for  four 
lesa  de- 
1  have 

id  I  will. 


Jesus  is 
and  the 
)Ushed  in 

less  rea- 
a  distin- 

all  good 


works,  and  it  is  only  the 
suggestion  of  the  evil  spirit 
or  of  pride  that  can  make  a 
man  believe  that  it  does  not 
employ  him  in  his  right 
place. 

4.  It  assumes  the  entire 
responsibility  of  the  career 
it  gives  you  ;  for  example, 
you  do  not  take  upon  your- 
self to  receive  the  priest- 
hood. # 

5.  It  takes  the  most  admi- 
rable and  minute  care  of  the 
salvation  and  perfection  of 
its  children. 

C.  It  allows  no  compro- 
mises with  the  rule  :  dispen- 
sations, etc. 

*'  Therefore  I  ought  10  enter  the  Society  of  Jesus,  and  I 
will. 


'*  AVhen  shall  I  enter  the  Society  of  Jesus  ? 

1.  To  quit  the  Cassini 
would  be  not  only  extraordi- 
nary, but,  I  think,  impossi- 
ble. 

2.  It  would  be  to  choose 
for  myself  a  destination 
among  all  those  which  the 
Societj'-  might  give  me. 

3.  It  seems  to  me  natu- 
ral and  suitable  to  obtain 
my  father's  consent,  at  least 
to  myself  inform  him  of  my 
determination. 

4.  It  seems  to  me  useless 


3i6 


A /ex IS  Clcrc. 


*! 


and  dangerous  to  render 
any  oilier  duties  to  the 
world. 


"Therefore,  after  a  very  few  days  .spent  in  Paris,  I 
ou;^ht  lo  go  to  tlie  uovitiate  that  will  have  been  designated 
to  me,  and  1  will. 

Alexis  Clerc. 

*'  Given  at  Zi-ka--wei,  October  17." 

Sucli  are  the  iinportiint  and  holy  resolutions 
Avhich  Alexis  had  taken  before  God,  and  which  he 
would  accomplish  without  delay. 

We  pass  over  iiie  circumstajiccs  of  the  return  to 
Franco,  which  would  be  of  little  interest  now. 
Favored  on  her  voyage  by  superb  weather,  the 
Cassini  entered  the  harbor  of  LorienlJuly  5,  1854. 
She  happened  rij^ht  in  the  midst  of  preparations 
for  war,  and,  without  having  time  to  so  much  as 
look  about,  was  enveloped  in  the  general  commo- 
tion caused  by  the  Crimean  expedition.  The  day 
after  his  arrival  Alexis  wrote  to  his  father : 

"The  port  of  Lorient  is  in  twice  its  usual  ac- 
tivity, and  they  are  making  extraordinary  efforts  to 
get  the  Cassini  ready  to  start  in  six  days  for  the 
Baltic  Sea,  and  to  carry  thither  I  don't  knov/  what. 
However,  all  this  fine  zeal  does  not  affect  me  much, 
for  I  was  put  on  shore  the  day  of  our  arrival,  and 
I  have  refused  to  ask  to  continue  this  new  tail  of 
the  campaign. 

'*  Kevertheliss,  there  has  been  some  scrt  of 
confusion,  so  that  to-day  at  four  o'clock  I 
must  return  to  tlie  shi]>,  after  having  been 
lauded  twice.     Still,  I  consider  my  detachment  as 


Shano/iai  and  the  Jesuit  Mission,        3 1 7 


cndor 
3    the 


WIS,    1 

;uatcd 
EllC. 

Litions 
icli  lie 

uni  to 
,  wow. 
r,    tbc 

.,  1854. 

rations 
ucli  as 

om  mo- 
he  day 

ual  ac- 
fforts  to 
for  tlie 
\v  what, 
cmucli, 
s;'^^,  and 
7  tail  of 

sort  of 
clock  I 
Ug  been 
.nient  as 


real,  and  I  liopo  to  obtain  a  little  permit  of  fifteen 
days  for  Paris.     I  cannot  say  when  I  will  arrive.'^ 

Afier  so  long  an  absence  he  was  anxious  to  cm- 
brace  his  fatlieraud  his  brother  Jules,  to  congratu- 
late the  latter  on  the  union  he  had  just  contracted 
with  a  lady  worthy  of  him,  and  to  participate  like 
a  good  brother  in  that  family  event,  with  the  cir- 
cumstances of  which  hcAvas  still  unacquainted,  de- 
prived as  he  had  been  of  all  correspondence  since 
his  voyage  to  Singapore.  He  cared  butmiddlingly 
to  share  the  new  fortune  of  the  Cassini,  which  was 
to  be  used  as  a  transport.  It  was  in  a  rather  more 
military  manner  that  he  would  have  chosen  to 
serve  it  the  thing  had  depended  upon  him. 

*'  One  must  accommodate  one's  self  to  the  times," 
he  wrote  two  days  later,  ''and  if  I  could  be  good 
for  anything,  it  is  not  a  cruise  of  three  years  and  a 
half — which  has  notexhausted  me — that  would  de- 
ter me  from  serving  again  directly."  "  Madame 
my  sister-in  law,"  he  courteously  adds,  "  has  been 
so  kind  as  to  write  me  a  few  words.  I  am  very 
grateful  to  her,  and  I  hope  that,  being  persons  of 
good-will,  it  will  not  be  long  before  we  are  truly 
brother  and  sister.  Patience !  patience  I  and 
everything  will  be  arranged  to  please  everybody." 

To  be  brief,  notwithstanding  the  extreme  fatigue 
of  her  crew  and  the  bad  state  of  her  boilers,  the 
Ca.ssini  was  ordered  to  tow  several  ships  and  fri- 
gates to  Loricnt,  to  Brest,  or  to  Cherbourg,  after 
which  it  was  finally  decided  to  put  her  out  of  com- 
mission, and  this  decision  was  carried  into  effect 
errly  in  August.     Then  onlyClcrc  obtained  per- 


3i8 


Alexis  Clerc, 


«'-ii!l!l 


■& 


missior  to  visit  his  father.  But  before  starting  h  •) 
offered  bis  services  for  the  Baltic  Sea ;  they  were 
not  accepted,  all  the  positions  being  already  filled. 
Eight  days  later  Clerc  was  at  the  Novitiate  of  Saint 
Achcul,  thus  fulfilling  to  the  letter  the  resolution 
with  which  he  had  concluded  his  electioti: 

"After  a  very  few  days  spent  in  Paris  I  ought  to 
go  to  the  novitiate  that  will  have  been  designated 
to  me,  and  I  will." 


i!j!  ill 

i 


CHAPTER  X. 


ALEXIS    CLERC  IN  THE  SOCIETY  OP  JESUS— SAINT-ACHEUL. 


At  last,  after  four  years  of  waiting,  Clcrc  liad  ifc 
in  Lis  power  to  responil  to  the  call  of  the  Lord, 
wliicli  made  itself  heard  in  his  heart  in  a  way 
that  was  ever  stronger  and  more  urgent.  Still,  all 
was  not  done  ;  there  were  bonds  to  be  broken  be- 
fore he  could  be  received  into  the  novitiate,  and  it 
was  not  difficult  to  foresee  that  paternal  opposi- 
tion, singularly  favored  by  circumstances,  would 
not  be  disarmed  by  the  first  blow.  AVoiild  it  not 
even  declare  itself  inflexible  and  relentless  ?  Alas  ! 
we  shall  see  it  but  too  plainly — this  was  what  it 
did,  and  it  cruelly  kept  its  word  to  the  end. 

Clcrc  must  have  had  the  presentiment  of  the  ob- 
stacles that  awaited  him  and  of  the  rude  combat 
he  would  have  to  sustain  when,  having  communi- 
cated his  resolution  to  Father  de  Ravignan  imme- 
diately on  his  arrival  at  Lorient,  he  received  this 
rather  discouraging  reply  : 

"  Paris,  35  Rue  de  Sevres, 
July  18,  1854. 

"  My  Very  Dear  Friend  :  Your  letter  brings 
me  the  sweetest  consolation.  May  God's  grace 
keep  you  and  preserve  in  your  soul  all  the  gifts  of 

319* 


ii 
it 


320 


Alexis  Ckrc. 


••  i«  * 


m 


his  goodness.  Let  us  pniy  that  his  will  may  be 
perfectly  accomplished  in  you. 

"  It  seems  to  me  that  you  ought  to  wait  still 
longer  before  taking  a  final  resolution.  Your  re- 
signation now  would  be  ill-timed.  Undoubtedly 
we  must  expect  difficulties  and  obstacles  ;  never- 
theles?,  let  us  fear  nothing  when  we  seek  only  the 
glory  of  God  and  the  welfare  of  our  soul. 

"  You  cannot  doubt  of  my  tender  interest ;  it 
follows  you  everywhere.  Farewell,  then,  till  we 
meet.  Let  us  be  united  in  the  heart  of  our  Lord 
and  in  the  firmest  hope. 

"My  kind  remembrances  to  the  commander. 

"X.  DE  EAYIGis^AN." 

It  is  to  be  believed  that  Father  de  Ravignan  was 
satisfied  with  the  explanations  Clerc  gave  him 
when  he  came  to  Paris,  and  that  then,  from  the 
opponent  he  had  been,  he  declared  himiself  an  ally 
and  auxiliary;  it  seems  to  us  even  impossible  for  him 
to  have  done  otherwise  if  the  generous  postulant 
showed  him  the  election  ho  had  made  at  Shang- 
hai, and  which  ten  months  before  had  received 
the  approbation  of  a  religious  as  wise  and  enlight- 
ened as  Father  Languillat.  Had  not  the  illustri- 
ous and  holy  religious  (Father  de  Eavignan),  in  his 
excellent  work  *'0n  the  Existence  and  Institute  of 
the  Jesuits,"  himself  marked  out  the  path  which 
he  saw  his  young  friend  treading  with  so  firm  a 
step  ?  Had  he  not,  in  treating  of  the  election  and 
in  recalling  his  own  experience,  written  these  lines, 
wherein  Alexis  must  have  recognized  his  own 
course  :   ''  When  the  soul  is  trancpiil,  when  it  is  in 


litii;! 


Saint-AcJicuL 


321 


55 


ight- 


pcaceful  possession  of  all  its  faculties,  it  will  ba- 
lance, it  will  weigh,  the  opposing  motives,  consult- 
ing God  in  prayer.  It  will  place  itself  in  imagina- 
tion on  its  death-bed  at  the  feet  of  the  Sovereign 
Judge,  or  else  in  presence  of  an  unknown  person, 
seen  for  the  first  time,  who  exposes  his  doubts, 
asks  a  solution  of  them,  and  appeals  for  a  free  and 
disinlcrested  advice.  Light  is  thus  obtained,  the 
choice  is  determined,  all  the  repugnances  of  nature 
arc  immolated  on  the  altar  of  sacvifice.  Jesus 
Christ  lias  conquered,  and  the  faithful  disciple  a 
conqueror  with  him,  sings  and  celebrates  his  vic- 
tory by  consecrating  to  the  Lord  his  strength,  his 
labors,  and  his  whole  life,  either  in  the  apostolate 
of  the  world  or  in  the  sacred  army  of  the  Church. 
0  Grod  !  I  bless  thee  and  give  thee  thanks;  it  was 
thus  thou  didst  order  my  life  and  for  ever  assure 
my  happiness."  * 

Tills  is  language  U^at  will  be  understood  by  who- 
ever has  Sfono  over  the  same  road  and  arrived  at  the 
sam3  destination,  but  which  was  unintelligible  to 
Mr.  Clerc,  Sr.,  not  only  on  account  of  his  paternal 
affection,  which  shrank  from  that  great  sacrifice, 
but  also,  it  must  be  acknowledged,  in  consequence 
of  the  prejudices  with  which  his  mind  was  ob- 
scured. 

What  passed  between  him  and  his  son  when  the 
latter  announced  that  he  wanted  to  be  a  Jesuit  and 
that  he  was  going  forthwith  to  knock  at  the  door 
of  the  Novitiate  of  Saint-Acheul  ?    We  can  easily 


w 


**'0n  the  Ejristonce  nnrl  Institute  of  the  Jesuits,"  chap, 
ill.— "The  Election,  or  Choice  of  a  State  of  Life." 


322 


Alexis  Clerc. 


!"!"" ' ) 


guess.  Alexis  was  doubtless  respectful,  but  he  was 
firm  ;  he  bad  appreciated  tbe  necessity  and  pro- 
priety of  obtaining  bis  fatber's  consent  if  be  could  ; 
not  succeeding,  be  remembered  tbat  Jesus  Cbrist 
said:  ^' lie  that  lovcth  father  or  mother  more  than 
me  is  not  tvorthy  of  me  ";  and  be  started  for  Saint- 
Acbeui. 

He,  however,  left  behind  him  tbe  hope  that  he 
would  return  ;  for,  having  spent  only  eight  days  at 
tbe  most  in  Paris,  be  had  bad  time  neither  to  re- 
ceive the  i:cccptance  of  bis  resignation  nor  to  ar- 
range his  little  affairs  like  a  mo,n  who  is  soon  to 
die  to  the  world  and  to  whom  things  here  below 
will  henceforth  be  as  nothing.  But  when  be  had 
once  reached  the  threshold  of  the  novitiate  and 
learned  with  certainty  tbat  he  would  be  admitted, 
reflecting  on  tbe  assaults  that  awaited  him  in  Paris 
and  on  tbe  too  evident  impossibility  of  winning 
any  consent  from  his  father,  be  thought  be  ought 
not  again  to  leave  the  port  he  had  entered,  in  order 
that  it  might  be  well  understood  tbat  his  resolution 
was  definitive  and  irrevocable  ;  consequently  be 
wrote  to  Mr.  Clerc  : 

"My  Dear  Father  :  I  thank  you  for  the 
kindness  you  showed  me  when  I  communicated  to 
you  a  project  which  deeply  afflicted  you.  Assuredly 
I  wculd  be  glad  to  spare  you  pain,  but  I  feel  very 
sensibly  that  in  explaining  my  motives  I  shall  suc- 
ceed but  imperfectly.  I  obey  the  conviction  tbat 
I  ought  to  take  this  step  notwithstanding  the  sacri- 
fices it  imposes  upon  me.  The  constancy  with 
wbich  I  bave  adhered  to  this  project  during  four 


Saint' Achciil. 


Z^l 


years,  and  amid  such  varied  circumstances,  all 
suited  to  distract  me  from  it  as  you  hoped,  indi- 
cates sufficiently  that  nothing  remains  but  to  exe- 
cute it.  Men  do  not  usually  give  so  much  mature 
reflection  to  even  capital  resolutions,  and  I  should 
fail  in  a  duty  if,  for  the  sake  of  preserving  some 
advantages  of  comfort  and  vanity,  I  should  refuse 
to  respond  to  the  voice  of  my  reason  enlightened 
by  every  available  means.  Therefore,  dear  father, 
believe  that  in  this  matter  I  am  not  acting  under 
the  illusion  of  any  impulse,  under  the  influence  of 
any  enthusiasm  ;  the  few  days  I  spent  with  you 
must,  I  think,  have  convinced  you  of  this.  Why, 
then,  anticipate  useless  regrets,  or,  to  speak  more 
exactly,  why  fear  them  ?  In  reality,  have  they 
not  been  anticipated  and  averted  by  so  much  re- 
flection, by  the  advice  of  experienced  persons,  and 
by  so  long  a  temporizing. 

*'I  know  that  your  displeasure  springs  only 
from  your  disinterested  affection,  which  dreads  for 
me  an  evil  that  I  seem  to  be  runniug  into  blindly; 
while,  on  the  contrary,  the  evil  is  in  remaining 
where  I  find  myself  out  of  place,  and  where  my 
conscience  can  no  longer  bo  at  peace.  This  is  a 
little  interior  mystery  which  you  can  easily  pene- 
trate ;  the  truth  is,  I  abandon  an  apparent  good 
and  a  real  evil,  and  I  embrace  a  real  good  and  an 
apparent  evil. 

*'  Nevertheless,  although  reason  justifies  my  con- 
duet,  it  is  not  of  itself  sufficient  to  dictate  it ;  some- 
thing besides  reason  is  required  to  impose  even  a 
light  sacrifice,  and  it  is  to  that  noble  part  of  our 


:n1 


324 


Alexis  Clerc, 


••;«  "• 
m  ' 


14 

7\^ 


\ 

^''\ 


% 


». 

'♦ 


"3 


t 


m 


mm- 


ll 

If 


soul  wliicli  then  commands  our  will  that  I  desire 
to  address  myself,  to  tlic  end  that  the  love  of  what 
is  best,  most  perfect,  may  help  you  to  bear  what  I 
do  with  a  generous  intention. 

f'l  inform  you,  then,  my  dear  papa,  that  they 
consent  to  receive  me  in  the  novitiate  ;  it  remains 
for  mo  to  follow  faithfully  the  way  wherein  God 
calls  me,  and  for  you,  my  dear  father,  to  take  part 
in  my  eutrar.ce  in  the  religious  life  by  accepting  it 
as  far  as  possible  for  the  love  of  God. 

*'I  believe  it  is  wisest  for  me  not  to  return  to 
Paris,  so  as  to  avoid  tlie  untimely  visits  I  would 
have  to  make  to  persons  who  are  ignorant  of  my 
resolution,  and  also  the  monotonous  representa- 
tions which  strangers  would  not  fail  to  make  me. 
I  feel  myself  already  passably  awkward,  and  I 
should  not  know  at  all  what  air  to  assume  ;  more- 
over, after  euch  a  drawing  back  the  leap  would  bo 
only  more  difficult.  The  very  small  number  of 
business  matters  that  I  have  left  behind  can  be  ar- 
ranged by  correspondence.  Besides,  I  shall  never 
have  been  so  near  you  ;  when  you  choose  you  can 
come  to  see  me  in  three  hours. 

**May  Almighty  God  give  us  strength  to  ac- 
complish what  he  asks  of  us  ! 

*^  Farewell,  dear  papa.  I  embrace  you  most  ten- 
derly, and  I  pray  God  to  render  this  blow  less  hard 
by  giving  you  the  conviction  that  we  are  obeying 
his  holy  will.  .  A.  Clerc. 

**  Saint-Acheul,  August  19." 

This  letter,  at  onc3  so  tender  and  so  respectful, 
filled  up  (he  measure  of  that  poor  father's  grief 


Saint- Ac  JicitL 


325 


jctful, 
grief 


and  despair,  for  ifcmado  him  feel  that  the  struggle 
he  was  going  to  engage  in  wiili  liis  son  could  only 
prove  for  both  of  them  an  inexhaustible  source  of 
bitterness.  But  passion  doc:5  not  reason,  and, 
cost  what  it  might,  he  was  Grmly  resolved  to  op- 
pose Alexis'  vocation,  even  at  the  price  of  the  hap- 
piness they  had  always  found  in  the  union,  hither- 
to so  easy  and  natural,  of  their  hearts.  Directly 
after  Alexis'  departure  for  Saint-Acheul  he  had 
composed  a  note  in  which  ho  taxed  his  ingenuity  to 
find  reasons  to  divert  his  son  from  his  project. 
Before  it  was  for  Alexis'  own  good  that  ho  ought 
to  remain  in  the  navy,  now  it  was  for  the  sake  of 
his  father ;  and  becoming  an  egotist  at  will,  he 
imagined  a  distant  future  when  Clcrc,  having  re- 
tired from  the  service,  would  receive  his  father  at 
his  iireside  in  his  humble  bachelor's  estabMshment, 
a  desire  which  he  expressed  with  a  good  deal  of  re- 
serve, acknowledging  that,  to  tell  the  trulh,  it 
would  be  diilicult  lor  him  to  bo  better  off  tlian  lie 
was  with  his  son  Jules  and  his  daughter-in-law. 

But  soon  he  has  recourse  to  other  arms  which  he 
did  not  think  of  at  first,  and  he  adds  in  a  i^osl- 
scripUim  ;  '*  I  beg  you  to  yet  reflect  that  you  can- 
not send  in  your  resignation  at  this  time.  It 
would  be  cowardice  to  desert  your  post  at  the  mo- 
ment when  there  may  be  danger  for  you  to  incur." 
Clerc  could  feci  quite  easy  about  this  last  point  ; 
his  resolution,  thank  God,  dated  far  enough  back 
for  the  Crimean  war  to  have  nothing  to  do  with  it. 
If  his  offer  to  serve  in  the  Baltic  had  been  accept- 
ed, he  would  have  waited  till  the  close  of  the  cam- 


326 


Alexis  Clerc. 


■  •  >  ■ 

1  U 


"i5» 


^ 


..■^*' 


ivi'iii;; 


paigu  to  send  in  liis  resignation,  and  that  not 
through  fear  of  dishonor,  which  couhl  not  attacii 
to  liim,  but  from  an  exalted  idea  of  military  duty. 
"We  liavcah'catiy  seen  in  Cliina,  as  we  shall  sec  later 
at  La  Roquette,  whether  he  was  a  man  to  bargain 
about  his  life  and  to  retreat  before  bullets  and 
balls. 

Mr.  Clerc  concluded  with  an  adjuration  and  a 
threat :  "  I  adjure  you  by  all  the  authority  a  father 
can  have  over  his  son  to  defer  your  intention,  at 
least  until  the  close  of  the  war. 

"  If  you  do  not  listen  to  my  prayer,  write  me  no 
more ;  all  intercourse  between  you  and  me  will  be 
at  an  end." 

This  certainly  was  a  terrible  assault ;  but  Clerc 
had  foreseen  all,  was  prepared  for  all ;  for  tlic 
love  of  him  who  on  the  cross  endured  an  incom- 
prensible  abandonment  by  his  Heavenly  Father  he 
from  that  moment  resigned  himself  to  be,  if  such 
were  God's  will,  denied  and  rejected  by  his  father 
according  to  the  flesh. 

Father  de  Ravignan  was  then  at  Saint- Acheul ; 
he  frequently  came  there  in  the  autumn  to  seek 
the  solitude  that  was  always  dear  to  him,  and  in 
labor  and  prayer  to  renew  his  strength  as  in  the 
days  when,  still  obscure,  he  there  consecrated  the 
first  fruits  of  his  talents  and  zeal  to  the  teaching 
of  theology.  Mr.  Clerc,  who  knew  very  well  that 
the  counsels  of  the  eminent  religious  had  already 
prolonged  by  four  years  his  son's  stay  in  the  world, 
wrote  to  him  in  strict  confidence,  expecting  thus  to 
obtain    that   Alexis,   relinquishing    Irs    ideas    of 


Saint-AcJicid, 


227 


seek 
id  in 
1  tho 

the 
bing 

that 
ready 
orld, 
lusto 
IS    of 


vocation,  would  return  to  Paris.  He  doubtless 
flattered  himself  that  he  had  found  an  infallible 
means  of  conquering  his  son's  obstinacy.  Vain 
hope  !  Here  is  what  Father  dc  Kavignan  replied  : 
"  Saint-Aciieul,  August  24,  1854. 

*'  Sir  :  I  understand  perfectly  the  allliction  of  a 
father's  heart,  and  I  sympathize  with  you.  But 
you  must,  likewise,  understand  that  in  a  question 
as  serious  as  this  of  your  son'f^,  I,  wc  all,  can  only 
leave  him  to  himself,  lie  is  free  to-day,  he  will 
be  free  during  the  whole  time  of  his  novitiate  (two 
years),  if  he  remains  ;  he  will  contract  no  engage- 
ments by  the  vows  of  religion  until  after  the  two 
years  have  elapsed.  He  will  thus  have  leisure  to 
examine  his  vocation  and  to  decide  with  tho  full 
knowledge  of  what  he  is  doing.  At  his  age,  with 
his  experience  of  the  world,  he  is  in  less  danger  of 
illusion  than  many  others.  Conscience,  the  con- 
viction of  the  soul  in  the  presence  of  God,  are 
what  is  most  sacred  and  most  to  be  respected  ;  and 
all  authorities,  as  well  as  all  sentmients,  1  dare  to 
say  it,  should  bow  before  a  conscientious  determi- 
nation of  which  God  alone  is  the  judge. 

"I  hope,  sir,  that  you  will  kindly  accept  my 
excuses  for  not  being  able  to  do  what  you  desire.  I 
offer  with  my  most  sincere  good  wishes  the  as- 
surance of  my  high  esteem. 

"X.  DE  Eavigxax." 

Mr.  Clerc  did  not  yield  ;  he  had  sworn  to  be  irre- 
concilable, and  he  wa?.  It  was  for  him  a  point  of 
honor  and  a  sort  of  cngugement  of  conscience  ;  his 
political  and  religious  liberalism,  his  lofty  patriot- 


3^8 


A /ex is  Clerc, 


4 


In 


1 


'^- 


ism,  bis  paternal  ambition,  iind  even  bis  affection 
wbicb  bo  believed  outraged,  al!  conspired  to 
strcngtben  bini  in  tbat  determined  and  aggressive 
opposition  wliicl)  from  tlic  commencement  left  no 
room  to  bopc  for  peace  or  truce. 

Bcbold  wbat  combats  and  bcartrendings,  so 
keenly  felt  by  a  delicate  soul,  met  Clerc  on  bis  en- 
trance to  tbe  religious  life  !  At  tbc  first  step  bo 
felt  bimself  assailed  in  bis  dearest  affections,  and,  a 
Yoluntary  victim,  tberc  was  notbing  for  bim  to  do 
but  to  bend  beneatb  tbe  cross  wliicli  be  was  lo 
carry  all  bis  life. 

Tie  wits  as  yet  only  in  bis  first  probation.  Tbus 
is  called  a  period  of  from  ten  to  twelve  days  de- 
voted to  a  reciprocal  confidence,  tbe  postulant 
making  bimself  known,  wbilc  at  tbc  same  time  be- 
coming acquainted  witli  tbe  constitutions  of  tbo 
Society;  as  is  evident,  a  necessary  confidence  to 
avoid  on  botb  sides  all  misunderstandings,  all  sur- 
prise in  so  important  a  matter.  Fatber  Alexander 
jMallet,  master  of  novices,  and  in  that  c.qoacity 
cbarged  with  examining  Clerc's  dispositions,  bis 
greater  or  less  fitness  for  the  life  and  employments 
of  tbe  Society,  was  a  truly  interior  man,  austere 
and  gentle,  of  frail  constitution  and  sickly  appear- 
ance, not  without  warmth  of  benrt  when  there  was 
question  of  the  good  of  souls  and  tbc  interests  of 
God's  glory,  but  very  sligbtly  accessible  to  cntbu- 
siasm,  and  particularly  attentive  to  keep  himself 
on  his  guard  as  well  as  to  caution  others  against 
even  generous  illusions.  It  is  plain  that  if  this 
character  suited  Clerc  ib  was  especially  by  its  con- 


Saint- Aclicul. 


329 


trasts  with  his  own,  by  the  advantap^e  it  was  to  him 
to  find  ill  his  spiritual  ^nido  qualities  with  which 
he  perhai:)s  was  not  liimsclf  jirovided  in  the  same 
degree.  Before  admitting  him  to  the  novitiate, 
Father  Millet,  who,  strictly  speaking,  might  have 
relied  on  Father  LanguiJlat,  and  simply  and  solely 
confii'mcd  the  election  Clerc  had  made  a  Zi-kawci, 
cither  to  put  the  eagerness  of  his  desires  to  the 
proof  or  to  obtain  more  light  on  a  subject  about 
which  there  can  never  be  too  mucli,  directed  him 
to  make  a  new  election  in  regular  form  during  his 
probation. 

"We  may  be  allowed  to  mention  by  the  way  that 
this  shows  plainly  enough  whether  we  catch  sub- 
jects on  the  wing  to  enroll  them  in  spite  of  them- 
selves, or  by  main  force,  under  our  banner,  and 
whether  the  compdh  inirarc  with  which  we  are 
so  mncli  reproached,  is  truly  our  motto.  Clerc 
wa^"  certainly  not  a  subject  to  be  disdained ;  let 
us  say  more,  he  was  by  reason  of  his  antecedents 
a  particularly  precious  recruit  for  a  religious 
order  that  was  at  that  very  time  opening  mili- 
tary and  naval  preparatory  schools.  Nothing  of 
all  that,  however,  caused  the  superiors  to  think 
that  they  might  lightly  treat  the  great  affair  of 
vocation. 

Clerc  made  a  new  election.  As  may  be  readily 
supposed,  it  was  not  notably  different  from  the 
first,  at  least  in  its  foundation ;  but  under  the 
stroke  of  trial  and  contradiction  the  resolution  to 
forsake  all  in  order  to  belong  to  Jesus  C'nrlst  is 
emphasized  with  a  redoubled  energy  that  has  its 


i 


330 


Alexis  CUrc. 


•»«i  *•. 


El!? 


[rvji 


liliP 


value  antl  iis  eloquence.  AVe  will  quote  some  of 
the  most  remarkable  passages : 

To  tlie  first  question  he  puts  himself :  *'  Shall  T 
follow  the  counsels  or  only  the  precepts  ? "  lie 
makes  the  following  replies :  "  It  would  be  a 
shameful  relapse  to  keoj)  on!/  to  the  precepts  after 
having  already  tried  for  a  long  time  to  follow  the 
counsels. 

"  It  is  a  very  cowardly  relapse  to  yield  without 
fighting  solely  through  fear  of  the  battle. 

**It  is  an  unpardonable  contempt  of  God's 
grace,  which  has  for  some  time  enabled  me  to 
walk  without  much  difHculty  in  the  way  of  his 
counsels. 

"How  great  an  assurance  of  salvation  is  the 
way  of  the  counsels  !  For  me  to  choose  any  other 
is  like  choosing  perdition. 

"  Do  I  owe  less  after  the  grace  of  so  extraordi- 
nary a  conversion  ? 

"Finally,  I  wish  to  follow  the  counsels  because 
I  love  God  and  desire  to  serve  him  to  my  utmost. 

"I  feel  strength  to  do  it,  with  the  grace  of  our 
Lord. 

"  I  desire  with  all  my  heart,  with  all  my  mind, 
and  with  all  my  strength,  to  serve  now  and  all  the 
days  of  my  life  the  Lord  my  God,  my  most  merci- 
ful, most  amiable,  and  most  sweet  Saviour,  by  en- 
deavoring, with  the  help  of  his  holy  grace,  to  imi- 
tate him  by  showing  the  most  entire  docility  to  his 
counsels  and  inspirations.    Amen. 

"  This  way  of  the  counsels  is  the  way  of  our  Lord 


Saint- Ac  Juul. 


U  I 
lie 

0   a 

ifter 

tbo 

bout 

3locVs 
10  to 
a  bis 

is  tbo 
otbcr 

aortli- 

ecanse 
nost. 
of  our 


miiul, 
all  tbo 
merci- 
by  on- 
to iiui" 
to  bis 


y 


ar 


Jesus  :  Qui  vult post  me  venire,  ahncget  seine/ ij)- 
ston  ct  tollat  cntcein  sncnn."* 

To  tbo  second  question  :  "  Ongbt  I  to  cmbraco 
tho  religious  life,  or  remain  in  tbo  world  ?  "  bo  re- 
plies : 

"Tbo  renunciation  of  my  position  is  a  little  sa- 
crifice ;  I  desire  to  offer  ii:  to  Almigbty  God. 

"Tbo  virtues  are  pr.ictised  in  tbo  religious  life  ; 
in  tbo  world  tbey  are  at  tbo  most  only  meditated. 

"  Experience  proves  to  mo  tbat  for  tbree  years  I 
bavo  been  daily  going  backwards. 

"  Tbere  are  mucb  greater  dangers  on  sboro. 

"Hereafter  tbero  will  also  bo  greater  ones  on 
sbipboard,  wbere  I  sball  bo  engaged  in  more  impor- 
tant and  bonorable  employments." 

In  fact,  Clerc,  on  bis  return  from  Cliina,  liad 
been  proposed  for  a  command  and  for  tbo  Legion 
of  Honor.  Tbo  rigbt  moment  for  making  a  Utile 
sacrifice  to  God  was  precisely  tben  ;  later  tbe  sa- 
crifice would  doubtless  bavo  been  sometbing  more, 
but  to  defer  for  tbat  motive  would  bavo  been  to 
tempt  God  and  to  presume  too  mucb  on  bis  own 
strengtb. 

Otber  reasons  for  embracing  tbo  religious  life  : 

''Holy  obedience,  wbicli  I  bavo  poorly  practised 
on  sbipboard,  I  desire  tbat  boncefortb  you  sbould 
be  my  supremo  ruler,  and  I  bopo  to  practise  you 
better  wben  I  sball  be  under  obligation  to  do  so 
continually,  because  tben  you  will  be  to  me  a  strict 
law  and  not  a  work  of  supererogation. 

*  If  any  man  will  come  after  me,  let  him  deny  himself  and 
take  up  his  cross  (Matt.  xvi.  2i). 


332 


Alexis  Clcrc. 


I 


m'k 


vt 


\\\' 


ii 


I 
I    ■ 

m 


i; 

■'Kill 


i!li 


ill^ 


"  The  good  example  I  may  give — the  only  plau- 
sible reason  they  urge  for  my  remaining  in  the 
world — is  greater  by  my  abandoning  all  things  for 
the  sake  of  serving  God  better." 

Third  question  :   "  What  order  shall  I  enter  ?  " 

Ecply  :  ^'The  Soeiety  of  Jesus. 

*'I  believe  it  the  best  suited  to  procure  my  spiri- 
tual profit. 

*^  It  always  employs  each  of  its  subjects  to  the 
greatest  possible  advantage,  so  as  to  give  him  the 
satisfaction  of  doing  more  for  the  glory  of  God 
than  he  could  outside  the  Society. 

**  It  rightly  calls  itself  the  Society  of  Jesus,  be- 
cause its  members  live  in  the  presence  and  in  the 
society  of  Jesus,  on  whom  they  daily  meditate. 

"  It  is  justly  called  the  Comimny  of  Jesus,  be- 
cause Jesus  is  the  captain  who  leads  it  to  combat, 
and  because  with  him  it  suffers  persecution  and 
contempt. 

"Finally,  I  love  the  Society. 

'^Accordingly,  I  desire  to  enter  the  Society  of 
Jesus. 

*'  I  would  advise  a  man  in  my  position,  a  stranger 
to  me  in  all  besides,  to  abandon  everything  and  to 
enter  the  novitiate  with  the  firm  intention  of  after- 
wards making  his  vows. 

*'  I  desire  to  be  able  on  the  day  of  my  death  and 
on  the  Day  of  Judgment,  to  congratulate  myself 
upon  having  this  day  forsaken  the  world  for  the 
Society  of  Jesus.  "A.  Clerc. 

*'  Saint-Aciieul,  Feast  of  St.  Augustine,  185-1," 

"The  thought  of  laboring  for  the  glory  of  God 


Sai)it-AclieiiL 


lU  and 
myself 
or  the 

jERC. 

1854." 
of  God 


by  procuring  the  salvation  of  my  neighbor  h:is 
scarcely  ever  crossed  my  mind  without  moving  my 
heart  and  inspiring  mc  with  zeal.  I  have  most 
usually  banished  this  thought  as  being  not  yet  sea- 
sonable, while  at  the  same  time  finding  pleasure  in 
believing  that  it  would  be  some  day." 

Uow  was  it  possible  to  resist  such  manifest  signs 
of  vocation  and  such  iierscveriug  desires  ?  There- 
fore the  superiors  resisted  no  longer,  and  that  very 
day,  the  Feast  of  St.  Augustine,  the  doors  of  the 
novitiate  opened  to  Alexis.  llis  youth  had  re- 
sembled that  of  the  Bishop  of  Ilipjio;  he  promised 
himself  to  imitate  that  great  penitent  in  the  sin- 
cerity of  his  conversion  and  the  ardor  of  his  chari- 
ty. Dating  from  that  2Sth  of  August,  he  is  no 
longer  of  the  worlJ,  and  he  finds  his  chief  delight 
in  seeking  to  be  forgotten.  Ilis  discharge  reached 
him  towards  the  middle  of  September  (it  is  dated 
the  15th) ;  he  begged  his  brother  to  settle  his  lit- 
tle business  mattcis.  The  small  sum  of  money  that 
was  still  due  him  (doubtless  the  last  payment  of 
his  officer's  salary)  he  several  times  offered  to  his 
father  ;  Mr.  Clerc,  faithful  to  his  threat  of  absolute 
estrangement,  refused  it.  Alexis  then  offered  it 
to  the  Society  to  indemnify  it  for  tlic  expenses  it 
would  incur  on  his  account  during  his  novitiate 
and  studies. 

Here,  then,  begins  a  new  life  which  has  nothing 
striking  about  it,  nothing  exterior,  a  life  huhloiin 
God  icith  JcHus  ChrUt,  so  hidden  that  worldlings 
look  upon  it  as  a  death,  and  it  horrilies  ti;cm  like 
tiie  tomb.     Ko  mori'  voyages,  no  more  distant  cxpe- 


,   ! 


;;'f-: 


334 


Alexis  Clerc. 


lit 

I  IT 


I 


i% 


ditions  ;  the  uniform,  which  in  France  always  enjoys 
such  a  prestige,  rejjlaced  by  a  poor  cassock — that  is 
to  say,  by  a  vesture  which  the  Avorld  has  little  honor 
for  and  does  not  always  tolerate  ;  finally,  occupa- 
tions which  recall  to  tlie  religious  the  humility  of 
Nazareth,  but  which  for  that  saaie  reason  refuse  to 
furnish  matter  for  a  detailed  narrative  ;  wherefore, 
the  Evangelists  themselves  employed  only  a  few 
lines  to  relate  the  infancy  and  the  first  thirty  years 
of  the  Saviour  Jesus. 

Still,  we  are  able  to  penetrate  into  Clerc's  in- 
terior, thanks  to  some  private  notes  he  preserved 
of  his  novitiate,  and  which  contain  his  true  history 
and  the  faithful  portrait  of  his  soul  during  that 
period.  In  addition  to  these,  we  have  the  recol- 
lections of  the  i)ersons  who  were  then  his  compa- 
nions, recollections  that  arc  necessarily  very  vague, 
since  the  humble  novice  took  all  the  pains  he 
could  to  efface  himself,  as  it  were,  and  succeeded 
admirably. 

The  first  trial  he  had  to  go  through — the  first 
experiment,  to  use  the  language  of  the  institute — 
was  to  make  the  ^'  Spiritual  Exercises  "  of  St.  Igna- 
tius during  a  space  of  thirty  days  ;  to  shut  himself 
up,  so  to  speak,  after  the  example  of  the  founder 
of  the  Society,  in  the  grotto  of  Manresa,  and  there 
to  consider  his  last  end,  his  duties  towards  his 
Creator  and  his  God,  the  enormity  of  sin  and  all 
the  evils  that  follow  it,  the  malice  of  the  sinner, 
his  own  errors,  the  faults  personal  to  him  (Alexis) 
during  the  whole  course  of  his  life,  and,  as  though 
this  conversion  was  the  first,  to  wash  all  his  past 


Saint- Acheul. 


335 


in  the  tears  of  a  sincere  contrition  and  in  the  wa- 
ters of  penance.  But,  after  these  meditations  of 
tlie  purgative  life,  which  take  up  the  first  week, 
all  the  rest  of  the  time  is  devoted  to  the  contem- 
plation and  imitation  of  Jesus  Christ.  The  dis- 
ciple of  St,  Ignatius  considers  our  amiable  Saviour 
as  his  king  and  captain ;  lie  responds  to  his  call, 
ranges  himself  under  his  standard,  and  places  his 
happiness  and  his  pride  in  following  him  as  closely 
as  possible.  Xow,  there  are  souls  more  or  less  va- 
liant even  among  those  who  thus  attach  themselves 
to  the  Lord  Jesus;  they  embrace  his  cross  with 
more  or  less  fervor,  they  are  more  or  less  courage- 
ous in  throwing  off  the  livery  of  the  world  to  clothe 
themselves  with  that  of  a  crucified  God.  It  is  in 
this  that  Clerc  signalizes  himself  from  the  very 
first  and  shows  himself  bravo  among  the  brave. 
The  greatest  self-abnegation,  continual  mortifica- 
tion— such  are  the  practical  means  proposed  to 
those  who  are  ambitious  to  rise  to  the  holy  folly 
of  the  cross.  Abnegation,  mortification,  and  espe- 
cially continual  aJjncgatioUy  these  words  are  harsh, 
and  they  terrify  nature  ;  we  can  reconcile  ourselves 
to  the  words  and  the  thing  only  by  a  generous 
abandonment,  an  unreserved  fidelity  to  the  grace 
that  urges  us  not  to  remain  but  half  way. 

Let  us  see  if  Clerc  was  truly  faithful,  or  if  he 
capitulated  with  the  enemy.  There  is  still  another 
election  for  him  to  make — tlie  choice  of  the  degree 
of  perfection  which  he  desires  to  attain  with  the 
help  of  God's  grace. 


,.i.j 


33<5 


Alexis  Clerc. 


Hy. 


if 

t;*  III' 


"  I  protest  before  the  divine  Miijc  !ity  oi;  God,  be- 
fore the  Blessed  Virgin  and  all  the  Heavenly  Court, 
that  I  neither  liave  nor  desire  to  have  in  this  elec- 
tion any  intention  other  than  that  of  choosing 
■what  will  be  most  pleasing  to  God,  and  most  use- 
ful to  my  perfection  in  the  state  to  which  grace  has 
called  mc. 

*•  Feeling,  and  having  several  times  felt,  a  most 
filial  confidence  in  the  goodness  of  God,  who  will 
aid.  me  to  accomplish  what  he  counsels  me,  a  most 
lively  charity  urging  me  to  bo  generous  towards 
God  and  to  labor  for  my  perfection  with  strength 
and  ardor,  and  my  soul  finding  in  this  disposition 
tranquillity  and  peace  in  God  our  Lord  ;  while  the 
opposite  disposition  plunges  my  soul  into  darkness, 
troub^le,  low  and  gross  attractions,  disquietude  of 
emotions  and  temptations ;  while  it  casts  mistrust 
upon  my  vocation,  my  perseverance  therein  and 
the  graces  God  will  grant  me  to  persevere  ;  while 
it  renders  my  soul  idle,  tepid  and  melancholy,  and 
as  though  separated  from  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord  ; 
— I  desire  literally,  according  to  Rule  12,  io  scch 
i)i  ilic  Lord  tJie  greatest  ahierjation  of  mijsclf,  and, 
as  far  as  I  shall  he  able  (that  is,  as  far  as  possi- 
ble) continual  mortification  in  all  tJunc/s. 

"I  understand  by  abnegation  a  perfect  obedi- 
ence, an  entire  sacrifice  of  my  own  opinions  in  my 
intercourse  with  my  brethren,  the  desire  not  to  dis- 
tinguish myself  in  anything,  a  perfect  obedience  to 
and  a  perfect  observance  of  Rule  13  :  In  exerccn- 
diSj  etc.  .  .  Si  quideni  injunctwnfucrit  tU  in  ms  sc 


Saint- Ac  JiciiL 


337 


il,  l-;c- 
;>ourt, 
s  clcc- 
ooslng 
st  usc- 
icc  lias 

a  most 
ho  Avill 
a  most 
,0  wards 

treiigili 
posiLion 
hile  tbc 
xikuess, 
•tudo  of 
nistrust 
leiu  and 
wliilc 
ly,  and 
Lord  ; 
io  seek 
Ify  and, 
s  possi- 

|fc  obetli- 
is  in  my 
It  todis- 
[icncc  to 

excrccn- 
ill  exs  so 


cxerccat ;  *  which  T  bhall  beg  the  father  master  to 
be  good  enough  to  assign  mc. 

"  I  understand  by  continual  mortification  in  all 
things  tlic  unintcrruptoJ  suffering  of  the  body-in 
some  part  and  in  all  manners  :  therefore,  to  wear 
the  chain  constantly,  to  fast  yviLhont  intermission 
and  to  do  violcnco  to  my  taste,  to  sleep  on  the  floor 
and  all  dressed  or  on  a  plank  in  my  bed,  to  take  the 
discipline  every  day  at  least  during  an  Ave,  and  more 
if  I  feel  the  devotion  up  to  as  many  as  three  with- 
out asking  special  permission.  This  is  what  I  de- 
sire to  do  and  without  retrenching  anything  of  it, 
with  God's  grace  and  the  father  master's  permis- 
sion, in  spite  of  the  revolts  of  the  flesh  and  the  ar- 
tifices of  the  devil. 

^•'Moreover,  knowing  by  experience  that  my  con- 
science reproaclics  me  for  all  relaxations  of  mortifi- 
ciition,  to  do  less  would  bo  to  turn  a  deaf  car  to 
grace ;  grace  will  accomplish  what  certainly  I  alone 
would  not  dare  to  undertake,  nor  even  to  propose 
lo  myself. 

"  Having  then  2")rayed  to  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
with  all  my  heart,  I  consider: 

"  1.  All  that  the  masters  of  the  spiritual  life  say 
ni  general  about  mortification. 

"  2.  That  it  is  especially  recommended  in  the  be- 
ginning of  the  religious  life. 

"  3.  That  I,  more  than  any  one  else,  have  need 
of  it  to  wash  av^ay  my  past  sins. 

••'This  Rule  13  regards  Iho  oxcrciso  of  lowly  and  humi- 
liiitin?^  employ rnonls,  and  is  tlio  uuo  wborein  St.  I,';Datiua 
counsels  bis  children  lo  seek  with  mo^it  eagerness  those  that 
arc  most  ropu;jaant  to  nature. 


i  ! 


'4!, 


338 


Alexis  CI  ere. 


^^ 


S 


"4.  That  it  is  a  duty  of  gratitude  for  benefits  as 
^rcat  as  they  are  unmerited. 

^'  5.  That  it  is  the  best  way  of  imitating  our 
Lord. 

"  G.  That  it  is,  according  to  Rule  12,  the 
best  means  of  attaining  to  that  love  of  contempt 
and  tliat  horror  of  the  world  wliicli  is  the  spirit  of 
the  Society. 

*^7.  That  if  a  single  thing  be  granted  to  sen- 
suality, my  soul  will  instantly  take  advantage  of  it ; 
that,  consequently,  my  mortification  must  be  con- 
tinual and  in  all  things. 

"  Besides,  there  is  nothing  inconvenient  in  this 
regime.  1.  Because  I  am  sufliciently  robust.  2. 
Because  it  contains  nothing  in  itself  that  can  in- 
jure the  healtJi.  3.  Because,  having  neither  charge 
nor  employment  in  the  novitiate,  I  can  endure 
some  discomfort  without  inconvenience. 

**  8.  That  this  mortification  will  help  me  very 
much  to  attain  abnegation  which  is  more  difiicuU. 

"  9.  That  is  enables  one  to  attain  almost  at  onco 
to  the  practice  of  Rule  29. 

"  10.  That  the  declaration  of  Jesus  to  religious 
is  formal:  *  Qui  viiU  2^ost  mo  venire,  ahncget  seme- 
iipsiim  et  tolled  cruceni  suain.'"-''' 

Behold  the  crucified  life  which  Clerc  joyfully 
embraces  for  the  love  of  Jesus  Christ  !  Willi  a 
matchless  sincerity  towards  God  and  towards  him- 
self, he  declares  wiir  to  the  death  against  self-love, 
and  at  the  first  blow  cuts  himself  off  from  the 

*  "If  any  man  will  como  after  mc,  let  him  deny  himself  niicl 
talio  up  his  croso."— (Luke  ix.  2o). 


Sairit-AcliciiL 


339 


its  as 


g  our 


J,    tbo 

itempt 


:itof 


to  sen- 
fc  of  it ; 
1)0  con- 

t  ill  tins 
aist.  /«• 
t  can  in- 
!!•  charge 
endure 

luc  Tcry 

laimcuu-. 

It  at  011C3 

-get  seme- 

joyfully 

'ay i  ill  ft 

lards  liim- 
solf-loYC, 

from  tlie 
himself  and 


slightest  satisfactions,  so  as  to  leave  nature  no 
lioi)c.  This  is  not  all :  in  order  to  make  more 
sure  of  himself  in  this  difficult  enterprise,  and  to 
in  some  sort  constrain  himself  to  the  execution  of 
these  heroic  resolutions,  he  will  engage  himself  hy 
a  vow;  but,  joining  prudence  to  generosity,  he  will 
make  only  a  temporary  vow  which  ho  will  renew 
every  month,  the  whole,  bo  it  well  understood, 
with  the  approbation  of  his  superior  and  spiritual 
director,  the  master  of  novices. 

"Thou  knowcst,  my  God,"  he  writes  in  his  jour- 
nal, "  that  I  have  the  intention  of  engaging  my- 
self by  a  vow  made  on  the  first  Friday  of  each 
month,  to  follov/  during  that  month  the  rule  of 
mortificution  that  shall  be  definitely  approved  by 
the  father  master.  I  offer  these  mortifications  to 
thee,  to  thy  S.icrcl  Heart  encircled  with  thorns 
and  pierced  with  a  lance,  to  the  Immaculate  Heart 
transfixed  with  a  sword  of  sorrow  of  Mary,  thy 
holy  Mother.  I  pray  thee,  if  thou  dost  accept  this 
offering,  to  make  me  feel  a  lively  compassion  for 
thy  passion,  a  deep  hatred  of  my  sins,  and  a  great 
love  for  thy  infinite  goodness." 

His  prayer  is  heard,  and  in  proportion  as  he  mo- 
ilitatcs  on  the  passion  of  the  S.iviour  Jesus  he  feels 
growing  with  his  love  his  desire  of  resembling  that 
Saviour  in  all  things — in  his  agony  and  abandon- 
ment, in  his  mock  endurance  of  the  rage  let  loose 
against  him,  in  hh  abasement  and  opprobriums. 

"  Jcsiis  hcfore  Ilcrod. — Resolved  to  ask  of  Jesus 
neither  a  miracle,  nor  a  singular  grace,  nor  rare 
consolatiyn.s,  nor  a  new  state  of  soul.     These  are 


'  H 


34-0 


Ah'xis  Clcrc. 


l^ 


only  desires  spiiii^in^  from  cariosity,  sensuality, 
and  pride.  I  ask,  0  Jesus  !  to  combat  these  three 
concupiscences,  and  to  receive  thy  graces  and  fa- 
vors in  order  to  love  and  serve  thee  better. 

*'  Eesolved  not  to  speak  to  satisfy  my  own  curi- 
osity nor  a  vain  curiosity  in  others;  to  clothe  my- 
self with  the  white  robe  of  Ilerod,  to  bo  the  play- 
thing^ of  his  whole  band. 

*'0  my  God  !  wc  cannoh  strike  down  our  pride 
except  by  humiliations  ;  therefore  send  them  to 
thy  proud  servant.  Order  that  in  spite  of  all  his 
pains  he  may  make  a  ridiculous  Exemphcin,  and 
that  he  may  be  covered  witli  confusion.  And  let 
it  be  the  same  for  the  ToniJ'  Give  me  only  tlio 
grace  to  profit  by  thy  fatherly  lessons.  0  Jesns ! 
let  me  always  look  upon  tlicc  clothed  with  that 
white  robe,  thine  eyes  cast  down,  and  thy  lips  pre- 
serving an  unbroken  silenco." 

Here  is  how  he  converses  the  following  day  with 
Jesus  condemned  to  death  : 

^•'How  far  wilt  thou  follow  me  and  imitate  me  ? 
How  many  strokes  of  the  scourge  art  thou  willing 
to  receive  for  my  sake  ?  Wilt  thou  also  be  bound 
and  despoiled  of  thy  garments  ?  Wilt  thou  go  so 
far  as  to  shed  a  few  drops  of  blood  ?  How  many  ? 
Wilt  thou  clothe  thyself  with  the  purple  manlle  ? 
Dost  thou  desire  also  to  feel  some  thorns  of  my 
crown  ? — I  desire,  0  Jesus  !  to  go  as  far  as  thoii 
Vv^ilt  call  me.    I  have  no  wish  to  turn  aside  a  single 


*  The  Toni,  as  well  as  the  Exemplum  Mariinum  (preaching 
on  some  example  relating  to  the  devotion  to  Marj"),  are  ora- 
torical exercises  customary  in  the  noviliates. 


Saint-Achcul. 


341 


laliiy, 
three 

ad  fa- 

L  cuvi- 
.10  my- 
0  pVay- 

Li'  pritlo 
hem  to 
all  liis 
[?n.,  and 
And  let 
only  tlio 
)  Jesus  1 
itb  ilii^t 
lips  pvc- 

day  witli 

ate  mc  ? 

^vining 
be  bonnd 
lou  go  so 
w  many  ? 

man  lie  ? 

ns  of  my 

as  tliou 

,e  a  single 


stroke  nor.  to  avoid  a  single  thorn  thou  dost  destine 
for  me.  I  desire  to  sufier  and  to  be  hnmbled  for 
thee  as  much  as  is  thy  will.  Thou  dost  give 
strength  to  do  what  thou  dost  ask,  therefore  I  beg 
thee  to  ask  a  great  deal  of  mo.  Oh  !  to  snffer  for 
thee,  my  Jesus,  to  be  covered  with  opprobrium  for 
tliy  sake,  but  to  love  thee  !  Behold  my  happiness. 
To  love  thee,  to  love  thee  !  Give  mc  to  love  thee, 
and  then  do  with  me  what  tliou  wilt.  *  ximorcm 
ini  solum  cum  gratia  tua  inllti  clones,  d  (Jives  sum 
satis,  nee  aliiid  quidquam  iiUra2)Osco.'^'  * 

After  he  has  so  generously  taken  part  in  the 
mysteries  of  the  passion  and  death  of  the  Saviour 
of  men,  Jesus  crowns  his  desires,  and  with  an  in- 
finite  sweetness  permits  him  to  sliarc  all  the  joyi3 
cf  his  glorious  resurreclion. 

"  Lovest  thou  me  ?  "  These  words  which  Jesus, 
come  forth  from  the  tomb,  addresses  to  St.  Peter, 
he  also  hears  them,  he  replies  to  them  ;  and,  Jesus 
again  speaking  to  him,  there  is  another  loving  dia- 
logue between  the  faithful  disciple  and  the  well 
beloved  of  his  heart. 

"  '  Lovcst  thou  me  '  ?— 0  Lord  !  I  owe  thee  my 
life,  my  preservation,  the  light  of  my  reason,  my 
faith,  my  baptism,  my  pardon  after  ten  thousand 
mortal  offences,  my  vocation,  and  still  more,  thy 
love  which  completely  embraces  mc.  Oh  !  yes. 
Lord,  I  love  thee ;  I  call  thee  to  witness  that  I 
love  thee.     Thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee,  thou 


a 


(prcacbmS 
vy),  aro  ora- 


*"Give  me  only  thy  love  and  thy  grace,  and  I  am  rich 
t^nnugb  and  ask  fornothing  more." — Tvords of  (he  ^•Suscipe,^'  a 
prayer  of  St.  Ignatius. 


342 


A  lexis  Clcrc. 


« 


Tvho  knowcst  all  things.  And  as  reparation  for  so 
many  crimes,  dost  thou  exact  only  this  testimony  of 
my  love  ?  Alas  !  my  God,  why  is  it  that  I  cannot 
love  thee  more  ?  But  if  it  bo  true  that  to  love  is 
to  wish  to  love,  0  my  Lord  !  then,  truly,  I  love 
thee,  for  I  wish  to  love  thee  with  all  my  soul,  with 
all  my  strength,  and  with  all  my  heart.  I  do  not 
want  to  have  a  thought,  an  intention,  a  power,  an 
affection  in  my  being  that  is  not  thino  and  for 
thee.  Is  it  possible  that  thou  art  so  good  as  to  be 
so  anxious  for  the  love  of  such  a  miserable  crea- 
ture, and  that  thou  hast  done  so  much  to  gain  his 
love  ?  What  advantage  dost  thou  draw  from  it  ?— > 
Only  thy  love. — This  is  the  last,  the  highest  mark 
of  thy  love,  Lord,  that  thou  dost  desire  nothing 
else  but  my  love  !  But  it  is  not  all  yet :  as  the 
price  of  my  love  thou  dost  give  me  to  feed  thy 
lambs,  and  thou  art  pleased  to  clothe  me  with  the 
priesthood — that  is  to  say,  I  am  to  bo  raised  even 
to  that  sublime  dignity  of  performing  acts  which  are 
all  divine,  such  as  consecrating  and  absolving.  And 
if  I  bve  thee,  thou  wilt  come  into  mo,  and  by  me 
and  with  me  continue  thy  mediation,  thy  redemp- 
tion, and  thy  omnipotent  and  glorious  holocaust. — 
Silence. — Consume  my  heart  with  thy  love. — What 
ii  question  !  Lovest  tlioio  me  ?  " 

Such  were  Clerc's  sentiments  at  the  close  of  his 
long  retreat  made  at  Saint-Aclieul  under  the  di- 
rection of  Father  Mallet  in  December,  1854.  His 
whole  novitiate  was  the  putting  in  practice  of  the 
resolution  he  took  at  the  commencement,  and  we 
know  from  good  authority  that  if  later  in  the  col- 


Saint- Acheul. 


343 


for  ?o 
lony  o[ 
cannot 
love  is 
I  love 
1,  witli 
do  not 
;ver,  an 
,nd  for 
s  to  be 
lo  crca- 
;ain  his 
m  it  ?— ' 
3t  mark 
nothing 
as  the 
eed  thy 
ntli  the 
icd  even 
hich  are 
[ig.  And 
dby  me 
edemp- 
caust. — 
.—What 

e  of  his 
the  di- 

54.     His 

e  of  the 
and  wc 

I  the  col- 


leges where  ho  had  to  spend  his  strength  in  all 
varieties  of  employment,  he  was  not  permitted 
that  frequent  use  of  exterior  mortification,  he 
never  ceased  to  treat  his  body  with  extreme  se- 
verity. 

Tlie  house  of  Saint-Achenl,  before  the  first  re- 
volution an  abbey  of  Gcnovcvans  (Piogular  Canons 
of  St.  Genevieve  attached  to  the  adjoining  old  ca- 
thedral), and  from  1814  to  1828  a  celebrated  and 
flourishing  college,  was  after  many  vicissitudes  be- 
come one  of  the  most  important  establishments  be- 
longing to  the  Society  in  France,  and  it  then 
counted,  as  it  does  now,  three  distinct  communities 
united  under  the  authority  of  one  superior,  and 
forming  in  reality  only  one  great  family  composed 
of  resident  fathers,  juvenists,  and  novices.  The 
resident  fathers  were  occupied  with  the  duties  of 
the  sacred  ministry,  being  confessors,  preachers, 
and  missionaries  in  the  neighboring  towns  and 
rural  districts;  some,  advanced  in  years  or  bur- 
dened with  infirmities,  limited  themselves  to 
preaching  by  example,  and  nobody,  whatever  they 
themselves  might  say  and  think  about  it,  regarded 
those  invalids  of  the  apostolate  as  useless  servants. 
The  juvenists,  or  young  scholastics  recently  come 
from  the  novitiate,  were  prepared  by  a  year  or  two 
of  rhetoric  for  teaching  grammar  and  belles-lettres 
in  the  colleges  ;  they  were  older  than  the  novices, 
if  not  always  in  years,  at  least  by  seniority  in  the 
religious  life.  Finally,  the  novices,  to  the  number 
of  fifty,  of  whom  from  thirty  to  forty  were  priests 
or  scholastics  and  the  rest  coadjutor  brothers,  made 


1 1 


:'   i:.'f 


344 


Alexis  Clcrc. 


i«i  ■■•■ 

it  ' 

»»  •' 

\%  ■ 

t4 


lli!^ 


I 


m 


iiuder  a  special  direction  the  first  apprenticeship 
to  the  duties  of  their  vocation  ;  in  that  large  fami- 
ly Ihey  held  the  place  of  children  ;  hut  they  "svero 
not,  as  may  he  readily  supposed,  spoiled  children, 
although  they  were  the  ohji'cts  of  the  tendercst  in- 
terest and  the  most  paternal  solicitude.  The  Latin 
language  has  a  charming  word,  rcimerascerG^  to  hc- 
como  a  child  again  ;  the  word  is  in  Cicero,  hut  the 
thing  is  met  only  among  Christians,  and  it  is  espe- 
cially in  novitiates  that  it  is  seen  to  flourish  and 
prosper.  Happy  childhood  of  the  soul  that  with 
docility  ahandons  itself  to  all  the  inspirations  of 
grace,  to  the  good  pleasure  of  God  manifested  to 
it  hy  the  voice  of  superiors  !  Amirible  simplicity  ! 
Innocence  regained  and  ceaselessly  rejuvenated  in 
the  blood  of  the  Divine  Lamb  !  Aud  with  that  the 
joy,  the  inmost  satisfaction  of  heart,  whicli  is  the 
jdedge  and  foretaste  of  the  happiness  of  heaven  ! 
Oh  !  how  well  one  then  understands  the  words  of 
tlic  Divine  Master  presenting  little  children  to  his 
disciples:  "The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  for  such 
as  these"  (Mitt.  xix.  14). 

Clerc  found  in  the  novitiate  all  he  had  sought 
for  so  long,  and  he  there  practised  freely,  from 
morning  to  night,  the  religious  virtues  for  which 
ho  hungered  and  thirsted — poverty,  chastity,  obe- 
dience, mortification  of  the  senses,  recollection  in 
God,  forgetf  ulncss  and  annihilation  of  self  in  order 
to  be  closely  united  to  God.  When  he  wished  to 
humble  and  abase  himself,  opportunities  were  not 
wanting,  and  he  seized  them  with  the  eagerness  of 
a  mi.?er  who  has  discovered  a  treasure.      Although 


I 


Saint-AcJicul. 


345 


I '' 


souglit 


meditation  tand  spiritiuil  reading  fill  the  largest 
place  in  tno  novice's  daily  regulation,  there  is  also 
onco  or  twice  a  day  a  considerable  time  reserved 
for  manual  labors — sweeping  the  dormitories  and 
corridors,  scrubbing  the  house  from  top  to  bottom, 
aiding  the  coadjutor  brothers  in  the  domestic 
offices,  the  refectory,  the  infirmary,  the  kitchen, 
etc.  Behold,  certainly,  in  a  numerous  community 
a  rich  field  for  the  exercise  of  hwlij  and  liumiliating 
cniploijmcnls,  and  when  one  well  knows  how  to 
cultivate  it,  as  did  our  humble  and  fervent  novice, 
he  finds  a  now  haryest  to  reap  every  day. 

One  of  his  fellow-novices  writes  us  the  follow- 
ing: "I  remember  the  novitiate  was  greatly 
edified  at  seeing  that  naval  officer  as  simple  and 
fervent  as  any  one  else,  if  not  more  so.  One  day 
in  particular  he  gave  mo  a  sort  of  admiring  sur- 
prise when  lie  hurried  to  our  admonitor  *  and  re- 
quested as  a  favor  to  bo  named  for  a  work  of 
the  most  ungrateful  and  humble  description.  If  I 
remember  right,  a  i-)ouring  rain  had  inundated  a 
d:irk  and  foul  hole  ;  it;  was  necessary  to  wade  in 
the  dirty  water,  soak  it  up,  etc.  The  lieutenant 
considered  the  unpleasant  job  as  belonging  quite 
naturally  to  him,  and  he  solicited  the  appointment 
with  a  thorough  juvenile  ardor  which  but  partial- 
ly concealed  an  intense  desire  of  humiliation." 

One  of  his  room-mates  (for  each  nov' "  does  not 
have  a  room  to  himself)  discovered  one  night  the 
secret  of  ono  of  his  sufferinjrs  which  did  not  enter 


*Tho  brother  charged  with  distributing  the  employments 
to  the  other  novices.  n 


\i,    !    -<, 


fii 


34^ 


Alexis  Clcrc. 


»•  ■ 


into  tlio  programme  of  mortificaiioiis  ho  had 
written  out  (luring  his  retreat.  IIavin<j  heard  a 
groan  that  was  evidently  forced  from  him  by  pain, 
the  novice  interrogated  him,  and  Clerc,  pressed  by 
questions,  was  obliged  to  explain  and  confess  that 
liis  trouble  was  already  of  long  standing,  for  ho 
had  contracted  it  at  college.  Falling  backwards 
in  some  Tiolent  exercise,  he  had  received  a  large 
wound  which  had  never  perfectly  healed,  and  in 
wliicli  there  were  still  splinters  of  bone.  When  he 
felt  them  at  the  surface  he  did  not  apply  to  the 
surgeon  or  the  inlirmarian,  but  extracted  them 
himself  as  well  as  ho  could  ;  in  that  way  he  had 
not  much  to  do  in  order  to  suffer  constantly,  ac- 
cording to  his  resolution,  in  some  part  of  his 
body. 

There  is  but  one  voice  about  his  gaiety,  his  good 
humor,  the  charm  of  his  society,  and  the  affability 
of  his  character — natural  qualities  always  notice- 
able in  him,  but  purified,  ennobled,  and  perfected 
by  grace. 

The  more  clear-sisfhted  saw  therein  an  abundant 
source  of  merits  and  the  proof  of  the  strong  hand 
with  which  he  ruled  himself;  for  that  peace  ho 
visibly  enjoyed,  and  which  was  reflected  from  his 
whole  person,  was  the  price  of  his  victories. 

"  In  thinking  of  him,"  wg  are  told  by  one  who  at 
that  time  observed  him  closely,*  "1  am  reminded 
jof  the  robust  gaiety,  rohusiam  alacrilatcm,  Father 
Sacchini  speaks  of  somewhere,  and  which  renders 

*  This  witness  was  tho  socm.s,  or  assistant  of  the  master  of 
novJcos,  and  presided  at  some  of  the  exercises  of  the  novitiate. 


Saint-Ac/icul. 


347 


had 
rd  a 

id  by 
that 
)!•  ho 
vards 
largo 
lid  in 
iciihc 
,0  the 
thcia 
c  bad 
y,  ac- 
of   bis 

s  good 
ability 
iioticc- 
fccied 

Lindtjnfc 
cr  band 
ace  bo 
om  bis 

who  at 

minded 

I^\ithcr 

renders 

naster  of 
ovitiate. 


its  i")os?5Cs:oi'  capable  of  taking  very  powerful 
doses  of  penance  and  biimiliation." 

It  was  indeed  so  :  the  happiness  of  belonging 
unreserycdlj  to  God,  the  intoxication  of  tho  sacri- 
fice, was  the  principle  of  that  charming  gaiety,  of 
that  uniform  amiability,  assisted,  besides,  by  choice 
mental  gifts  and  by  the  resources  of  a  memory 
adorned  w^ith  a  great  variety  of  knowledge.  But 
whoever  could  have  penetrated  into  his  interior 
would  soon  have  discovered  that  that  joy,  while 
being  most  g  nuine  and  unaffected,  was  not  in- 
compatible with  suffering,  and  would  have  been 
led  to  admire  still  more  that  constant  serenity  by 
learning  that  Clerc  bore  in  his  heart  an  open 
and  always  bleeding  wound,  ever  since  the  day  his 
father  had  sworn  to  have  nothing  ia  common  with 
him  so  long  as  he  should  sec  him  remaining  in  the 
Society. 

Clerc  wrote  to  his  father  several  times  from  tho 
novitiate  of  Saint-Acheul ;  he  never  received  a 
reply;  it  appears  his  letters  were  not  read  or 
even  opened  ;  the  multiplied  testimonies  of  his 
filial  tenderness  seemed  to  be  scorned  and  set  at 
naught.  "When  he  found  that  all  his  efforts  at  re- 
conciliation were  a  dead  loss,  ho  wrote  no  more, 
and  contented  himself  with  praying  and  mourning 
in  silence. 

But  now  his  silence  is  complained  of.  Still 
more,  a  communication  is  made  to  Father  do 
Kaviguan,  who,  persuaded  that  Clerc  is  in  fault, 
and  has  undertaken  to  treat  his  father  stiffly, 
writes   to  tho  father  master  that  he  highly   dist 


' .  I 


348 


Alexis  Clcrc. 


111 


iJii  I 


approves  of  such  a  coiu'so,  and  tliat  Alexis  would 
do  well  to  show  himself  more  affectionate  for  the 
future. 

When  the  contents  of  Father  do  Ravignan's 
letter  were  communicated  to  him,  Clerc  experienced 
a  sudden  joy,  believing  it  all  meant  a  revival  of 
paternal  tenderness.  But  the  illusion  was  of  short 
duration.  A  new  letter  of  tlie  novice  addressed  to 
Mr.  Clerc  had  the  same  fate  as  the  preceding  ones. 
Not  knowing  what  to  think  nor  what  to  decide, 
Alexis  finally  had  recourse  to  his  brother  for  an  ex- 
planation. In  order  not  to  aggravate  the  situation, 
he  again  takes  rather  a  playful  tone.  What  must 
he  not  have  suffered  when  he  received  but  another 
proof  of  the  uselessness  of  his  efforts  and  of  the 
infl.'xibility  of  his  father,  who  was  still  resolved  to 
repel  his  advances  and  to  refuse  him  the  most  or- 
dinary marks  of  interest  and  sympathy  ? 

'^  IlL'rc,  now,^'  he  writes  to  his  brother,  May  G, 
1855,  '^  is  an  enigma  which  I  propose  to  your  sa- 
gacit}'.  I  am  a  subject  of  scandal  in  tho  Society. 
If  this  were  because  I  am  what  I  am,  very  imper- 
fect and  a  bad  example,  there  would  bo  nothing 
wonderful  in  it,  and  you  could  have  soon  guessed 
that  I  am  almost  exactly  the  same  that  you  have 
known  me.  But  it  is  for  quite  another  reason :  I 
am  a  bad  son;  I  never  write  to  my  father,  and, 
behold,  good  souls  sjy  that  the  Jesuits  destroy  even 
fdial  love.  Finally  the  story,  through  whom  and 
how  I  know  nothing  at  all,  reaches  Father  de  Ra- 
vignan ;  he  writes  to  the  reverend  father  master, 
and  I  am  called  on  to  explain  myself — but  I  was 


Saint-Achctil. 


349 


the 

an's 
iced 
l1  of 
iliort 
id  to 

311 CS. 

cido, 
n  cx- 
Ltion, 
must 
other 
)f  the 
ed  to 
st  or- 

lay  G, 
ur  sa- 
oclety. 
aipcr- 
0  thing 
ucsscd 
11  have 
ison:  I 
r,  and, 
oy  even 
Dm  and 
de  Ila- 
master, 
it  I  was 


not  clever  enough  for  that.  At  last,  I  figure  to 
myself  that  my  prayers  have  worked  a  miracle,  and 
that  iiaternal  tenderness  read  in  secret  the  letters 
it  did  not  open  before  the  world.  Immediately  I 
write  in  mv  finest  handwriting]:  tlie  letter  whoso 
sad  fate  you  have  related  to  me.  So  the  poor  little 
thing  passed  in  its  integrity  into  the  wastepaper- 
hasket,  and  I  am  again  living  in  hopes. 

'^  What  is  to  be  done  ?  Is  it  credible,  as  Father 
de  Havignan  writes,  that  our  father  complains  of 
my  silence  when  it  is  he  who  will  not  listen  to  me  ? 
And  where  can  I  discover  the  author  of  the  tale  ? 
At  all  events,  I  tell  you  about  it  so  as  to  explain 
my  letter,  and  so  that  you  may  set  the  facts  right 
if  need  be." 

The  matter  was  soon  explained  ;  it  was  not  Mr. 
Clerc  who  had  complained  of  the  silence  the  novice 
of  Saint-Acheul  observed  towards  his  family,  but 
Alexis'  sister-in-law,  Madame  Jules  Clerc,  and  her 
remarks  being  heard  by  a  friend  of  Alexis'  child- 
hood, Alexander  (whom  we  have  elsewhere  called 
Mr.  de  S  .  .  .),  then  officiously  reported  to  Father  do 
Ravignan,  with  whom  Alexander  was  intimately 
acquainted,  had  produced  tliat  imhrogUo  to  the  in- 
nocent authors  of  which  Clerc  graciously  granted 
a  full  amnesty. 

^'  Well,  it  is  you,  little  sister,"  ho  wrote  when  he 
had  at  last  solved  the  enigma,  "it  is  you  who  are 
the  artisan  of  this  letter  business.  If  you  had  not 
had  the  simplicity  to  acknowledge  it,  I  should 
never  have  guessed  it.  However,  be  assured  I 
have  not  been  vexed  with  anybody,  and,  on  the  con- 


\nm  " 


350 


Alexis  Clerc. 


ulll 


I 


«;  ill 


■*.:ir 


III 


trary,  as  I  believe  I  wrote  Jules,  I  bad  for  tbe  time 
a  grcafc  joy,  imai^ining  tbat  my  letters  would  give 
my  fatber  pleasure  and  tbat  it  would  be  in  my 
power  to  be  agreeable  to  bim  in  somctbing. 

**The  part  of  tJie  afiair  wbicb  I  admire  most 
is  tbe  good  faitb  of  Alexander,  wbo  believes  you 
quite  simply  witbout  making  any  allowance  for 
tbe  little  exaggerations  sanctioned  by  custom,  and 
tben  goes  seriously  to  relate  tbe  story  to  Fatber  de 
Itavignan,  as  if  be  could  not  just  as  well  bave 
written  it  to  me  bimself.  Perbaps  you  wanted  to 
bave  mo  scolded  ?  Very  well  !  to  punisli  your 
malice,  let  me  inform  you  tbat  I  was  not." 

Always  ready  to  pour  out  bis  beart  to  bis  brotber 
Jules,  Alexis  did  not  weary  of  talking  to  bim  about 
tbe  bappincss  of  bis  vocation:  '^I  will  tell  you 
tbat,  for  myself,  time  passes  with  incredible  rapidi- 
ty., and  tbat  it  is  only  by  consulting  tbe  almanac 
that  I  can  believe  it  will  soon  be  eleven  months 
since  I  came  to  this  bouse  of  benediction.  0 
bappy  time  !  Would  I  ever  bave  thougbt  tbat  I 
could  become  young  again  with  tbe  young  ?  IIcw 
can  I  ever  bo  sufficiently  thankful  to  God  for  the 
grace  of  so  beautiful  a  vocation?'' 

Clerc,  aged  thirty-six  years,  was  almost  tbe  dean 
of  tbe  novitiate;  witb  the  exception  of  two  or 
three  priests  wbo  were  bis  iseniors  by  a  very  little, 
all  counted  twelve,  fifteen,  or  cigbteen  years  less 
than  bo.  His  voyages  added  to  bis  experience  ;  be 
was  a  Nestor  in  tbat  youthful  world,  but  a  Nestor 
who  yielded  to  none  in  good  humor  and  frank 
gaiety.     A  delightful  conversationalist,  tbcy  loved 


Saint-Achcul. 


351 


to  make  him  talk,  and  he  was  never  at  a  loss  for 
matter.     As  the  fable  says  : 

"  Quiconquo  a  beaucoup  vu 
Peut  avoir  beaucoup  retenu."  * 

AYlio  Lad  seen  more  than  he  ?  He  had  seen  the 
inside  of  things,  had  been  an  acute  observer,  and 
had  forgotten  nothing,  for  he  was  endowed  with  a 
most  excellent  memory.  Snch  a  one  is  a  great  re- 
source in  the  recreations  of  a  novitiate,  where  the 
world's  noises  do  notpcnetrato  and  where  the  news- 
papers are  not  read.  With  him  one  could  at  will 
visit  India,  Oceanica,  and  better  still,  China. 
China  !  it  was  the  Society  itself,  it  was  the  family 
that  one  found  there.  In  the  mission  Clerc  had 
visited  how  many  missionaries  there  were  who  had 
come  from  that  same  novitiate  of  Saint-Acheul,  and 
in  whose  footsteps  each  novice  was  burning  to  walk  ! 
But  in  those  conversations,  whicli  procured  his 
brothers  a  very  innocent  amusement,  Clerc  feared 
there  might  bo  for  him  a  hidden  danger;  his 
humility  was  alarmed  at  the  ro/e,  modest  as  it 
was,  which  he  had  to  assume  when  he  thus  con- 
tributed to  the  recreations  his  souvenirs  of  his 
sailor  life. 

He  reflected  upon  it  seriously  during  the  retreat 
he  made  at  the  close  of  his  first  year  of  novitiate  ; 
he  examined  himself,  and  doubtless  found  matter 
for  reform.  Ho  put  the  following  resolutions  in 
writinj 


*  Whoever  has  seen  much  has  had  the  power  of  remeDibering 
much. 


\j...:  ..jiw^ u„ 


352 


Alexis  Clcrc, 


V... 


4!  I 


^ 


"llesolutions :  To  keep  myself  in  the  back- 
ground ;  to  keep  my  things  and  papers  in  order. 

'•  Under  the  first  head  I  see  five  points  for  par- 
ticular examination : 

"1.  Not  to  be  the  first  to  speak  of  myself,  and  if 
it  is  not  i^ossible  to  avoid  relating  some  story,  to 
endeavor  not  to  exhibit  myself  as  an  important  actor, 
but  rather  to  lose  myself  among  the  other  person- 


ages. 


"2.  Not  to  draw  others  to  talk  about  it  and  to 
make  me  talk  about  it. 

*'  3.  To  gently  give  way  for  others  to  display 
their  wit. 

"4.  To  speak  in  a  moderate  tone  and  with  few 
gestures,  without  trying  too  much  to  speak  well 
and  to  pass  for  a  lively  and  agreeable  talker. 

"5.  To  refrain  from  some  witty  sayings  which 
would  be  very  apropos." 

More  than  once  his  thoughts  turn  to  China, 
where  he  had  witnessed  such  great  examples  of  ab- 
negation, and  where  it  seems  to  him  splendid  op- 
portunities for  self-annihilation  arc  ojGfered  to  the 
missionary. 

^'  Our  Lord  will  teach  mo  to  endure  the  cold 
and  the  hardslups  of  all  kinds  and  not  to  com- 
plain. The  Word  is  made  a  child,  infans — Deum 
infantcm.  .  .  .  Oh  !  that  I  might  for  thy  sake, 
0  Jesus,  go  there  to  stammer  Chinese  instead  of 
the  language  I  speak  with  so  much  vanity  ! 

*'  Thou  dost  not  lot  mo  feel,  0  Lord  !  the  wound 
of  the  triple  sword.  There  is  a  poverty  that  can 
be  carried  so  far  as  to   die  of   want,  like   Father 


Savit'Achnti 


353 


Hone  Massa,*  and  there  is  a  spirliual  poverty  of 
praises,  honors.  .  .  ,  Poverty  is  the  renunciation  of 
all  exterior  goods  ;  by  it  I  offer  everything  to  God. 

"  Chastity  is  the  immolation  of  the  body.  I  know 
well  it  cannot  exist  without  that  immolation.  It  is, 
among'  other  defiaitions,  the  continual  observance 
of  the  rules  of  modesty  ;  tlieso  are  a  prison  for  us, 
an  impregnable  fortress  for  a  precious  treasure. 

"Obedience,  it  shall  be  that  of  the  judgment,  to 
the  point  where  God  has  so  lovingly  put  me  to  the 
test  to  practise  it,  and  where  I  have  so  greatly 
failed. 

"  I  desire  all  this  coldly.  0  Jesus  !  inspire  mo 
W'ith  the  sentiments  of  thy  Sucred  Heart,  that  I 
may  perfectly  make  a  perfect  offering.*' 

And  so  as  to  truly  feel  tlie  wound  of  the  triple 
stuordj  as  he  expressed  it,  lie  asked,  and  to  all  ap- 
pearances obtained,  permission  to  pronounce  the 
three  vows  of  devotion,  the  vows  of  poverty,  chas- 
tity, and  obedience,  on  the  9tli  of  September,  1855," 
the  feast  of  Blessed  Peter  Claver  of  the  Society  of 
Jesus. 

Wiieti  we  sec  liim  thus  reproaching  himself  eg 
earnestly  for  being  inclined  to  put  himself  forward 
in  conversation,  andfor  tallangof  his  exploits  and 
achievements,  one  is  led  to  ask  if  this  fault  was 
really  very  prominent  in  him,  and  if  it  was  a  mat- 
ter in  which  he  had  ample  room  for  reform.  '  k 
opportunity  of  gaining  light  ou  this  point  present- 

*  See  in  Chapter  IX.  the  details  of  the  death  of  Father 
Ren(5  Massa,  missionary  of  Kiang-nan.  Clerc,  who  was  then 
in  Shanghai,  hal  been  among  tho  ilr.sfc  to  hear  tlieni. 


'<) 


354 


Alexis  Clerc, 


h^'S'I 


.  „J  'm 


m 


ed  itself  without  any  of  our  Beekiug,  and  wo  now 
know  how  much  to  believe  of  his  self-accusations. 
At  Saint-Acheul  Clorc  made  his  hitclicn  c:q)erimcnt 
under  a  brother  cook  who  is  still  living,  and  of 
whom  we  ourselves  have  an  excellent  recollection. 
To  explain  to  the  profane  a  language  they  are  un- 
familiar with,  we  will  state  quite  simply  that 
Clcrc,  like  all  the  other  novices,  was  for  an  entire 
month  assistant  cook,  and  as  such  occupied  from 
morning  to  night  under  the  orders  of  the  head 
cook,  leading  meanwhile  the  life  of  the  lay 
brothers.  Questioning  about  the  dear  and  vene- 
rated novice  the  first  witnesses  of  his  religious  life, 
of  whom  the  number  has  singularly  decreased  since 
1855,  we  naturally  addressed  ourselves  to  this 
brother  cook,  and  to  refresh  his  memory  we  said 
to  him  :  *'  It  wasn't  every  day  that  you  had  lieu- 
tenants subject  to  your  orders  ?  " 

Would  the  reader  ever  guess  the  good  brother's 
reply  ?  We  will  content  ourselves  with  repeating  : 
"  What  I  remember  about  Father  Clerc  is  having 
seen  hi  make  indelible  ink  for  marking  the  linen 
and  show  the  wardrobe-keeper  how  to  use  it,  and 
all  with  the  best  grace  in  the  world  and  without 
any  pretension.  His  care  to  be  unnoticed  was  pre- 
cisely what  most  astonished  me  when,  long  after  he 
had  left  Saint-Acheul,  I  learned  what  he  had  been 
in  the  world  ;  to  the  best  of  my  recollection  not  a 
single  word  about  navigation  escaped  him." 

Thus,  for  an  entire  month,  living  with  those 
good  brothers,  spending  with  them  the  hours  of 
recreation,  when,  through  a  very  natural  deference 


Saint-AcJieul, 


355 


they  left  the  honors  of  the  conversation  to  him,  ho 
WHS  sufficiently  master  of  himself  to  refrain  from 
tlie  least  expression  which  might  cause  his  com- 
panions to  suspect  what  he  had  been  in  the  world  ; 
and,  if  he  had  to  speak  of  the  China  mission  some- 
times, as  is  likely  enough,  nothing  betrayed  that 
he  had  seen  with  his  own  eyes  what  he  related,  nor 
that  ho  had  ever  worn  the  epaulet  of  an  officer  of 
the  navy. 

Now  we  are,  thank  God,  sufficiently  enlightened 
regarding  his  foolish  vanity,  and  his  incurable  de- 
sire to  be  noticed. 


CHAPTER  XL 


VAUGIRAUD— THE  SCHOOL  SAINTE  GENEVIEVE— LAVAL. 


We  may  believe  that  after  such  a  novitiate  Clerc 
had  laid  the  foundations  of  a  solid  and  perfected 
virtue.  The  Society  had  not  completed  its  work  of 
forming  him,  but  it  could  begin  to  require  some 
services  of  him.  At  the  commencement  of  the 
scholastic  year  1S55-185G  he  was  sent  to  the  Collego 
of  the  Immaculate  Conception  at  Vaugirard  to 
perform  the  duties  of  surveillant,  at  the  same  time 
that  he  prepared  himself  by  following  a  comple- 
mental  course  to  undergo  an  examination  in  all  the 
branehes  of  philosophy. 

It  was  his  apprenticeship  to  his  college  life,  his 
dehut  in  the  great  work  of  education  to  which  he 
was  to  consecrate  eight  more  years.  Of  the  four- 
teen years  ui  life  that  remained  to  him,  he  passed 
nine  in  the  colleges;  add  to  these  four  years  of 
theology  (18G1-18G5),  and  that  second  novitiate  of 
a  year  which  we  call  the  third  probation  (1809), 
you  will  have  the  epitome  of  his  religious  life,  and 
you  can  count  all  the  marches  of  the  obscure  and 
laborious  route  by  which  he  ascended  to  tho  height 
of  his  heroic  and  glorious  sacriQce. 

That  great  art  of  effacing  himself,  which  he  had 

356 


Vaugirard. 


357 


learnctl  in  iho  novitiate,  and  of  wliicli  ho  was  already 
an  accomplished  master,  did  not  abandon  liiui  dur- 
ing all  those  years;  and  although  it  in  nowiac  en- 
croached upon  the  originality  of  his  character,  still 
it  is  easy  to  understand  that  the  task  of  the  bio- 
grapher whose  hero  hides  himself  as  much  as 
possible  is  Angularly  simplified. 

Let  not  tlie  reader  be  alarmed  ;  wo  shall  invent 
nothing  to  make  up  for  our  penury,  and  the  la- 
conism  it  imposes  upon  us  is  of  itself  elofpient 
enough  to  i)revent  us  fmrn  having  any  desire  to 
remedy  it.  In  addition,  the  interior  fire  with 
which  wo  have  seen  him  burning  during  his  re- 
treats bursts  out  on  certain  occasions  a  :d  casts  a 
bright  light  here  and  there.  This  is  amp  y  ruf- 
ficient  to  complete  our  information  on  :i  su  'cct 
wherein  there  is  no  question  of  satisfy.:  ;.t  a  v  n 
curiosity,  but  of  responding  to  the  pious  interest 
that  attaches  to  the  intimate  knowledge  of  a  beau- 
tiful and  holy  soul. 

A  venerable  reiigio<  s,  v  ho  was  Cere's  spiritual 
guide  and  the  depositary  of  the  secrets  of  his  con- 
science during  the  single  year  he  passed  at  the 
College  of  Vaugirard,  furnishes  us  this  portrait 
from  life  which  reproduces  especially  the  interior 
physiognomy  of  our  beloved  brother :  ^^  Father 
Alexis  Clerc  was  beloved  by  God  and  men.  God 
was  to  him  a  tender  and  merciful  Father,  a  kind 
and  devoted  Friend.  lie  had  no  other  ideas  of  his 
God.  Therefore  his  prayers  were  usually  a  filial 
conversation  with  him,  a  pouring  out  of  love  and 
gratitude.    Ilis  happiness  in  loving  our  Lord  and 


358 


Ali'xis  Clcrc, 


Ik    *■ 


\% 


being  loved  by  liim  was  reflected  on  his  counte- 
nance and  gavo  him  an  expression  of  sweet  and 
calm  joy.  Thence,  also — that  is,  from  his  relations 
with  Cotl — sprang  his  charity  and  zeal  for  men. 
His  whole  life,  like  that  of  his  Divine  Master,  was 
spent  in  doing  good.  To  sacriflce  himself,  to  ren- 
der eervico  to  others,  to  teacli  his  pupils,  to  con- 
solo  the  unhappy,  to  convert  sinners,  to  awaken 
repentance  in  their  hearts  and  give  them  jieaco  of 
conscience — these  were  his  delights.  All  who 
came  in  contact  with  him  felt  at  their  case,  and 
their  hearts  dilated  ;  they  loved  him  because  ho 
himself  loved  much,  for  an  ardent  love  of  God 
had  added  a  new  warmth  to  the  natural  kindness  of 
his  heart  and  the  frank  loyalty  of  his  character." 

This  portrait  seems  to  us  perfectly  truthful,  par- 
ticularly where  it  depicts  that  powerful  attraction 
Clerc  exercised  over  souls,  that  gift  of  winning  love 
by  loving  much  himself,  and  all  for  the  greater 
spiritual  good  of  his  neighbor  and  the  greater  glory 
of  God,  which  ho  never  lost  sight  of.  We  can 
testify  that  it  is  he  exactly,  just  such  as  wo  knew 
him,  such  as  he  lingers  in  the  memory  of  those 
who  had  the  ha^^piness  of  living  with  him. 

Of  course  Clerc  was  not  allowed  to  continue  in 
his  college  life  all  the  mortifications  he  had  im- 
posed upon  himself  in  the  novitiate  ;  he  had  to 
give  up,  among  others,  sleeping  upon  a  board,  and 
he  was  directed  to  bo  more  saving  of  his  strength, 
which  he  would  need  for  the  studies  he  must  pur- 
sue on  his  own  account,  and  for  the  humble  duties 
with  which  ho  was  charged  among  the  pupils.    Ho 


Vaugirard. 


359 


compensated  for  this  by  other  victories  over  him- 
self, jind  always  treated  rudely  enough,  cavalierly 
enough,  if  I  may  daro  so  to  speak,  his  poor  body 
which  he  had  for  a  long  while  held  in  slavery. 

His  residence  at  Vaugirard  brought  him  nearer 
to  his  family,  and  ho  saw  the  dearest  of  his  wishes 
realized  in  the  watchful  and  devoted  alTcction  that 
surrounded  his  father's  old  age.  Yet  even  in  tiiis, 
doubtless  joy  was  not  always  unmixed.  Accord- 
ing to  a  beautiful  thought  of  St.  Clirysostom,  God 
u  pleased  to  mingle  blessings  and  ills  in  the  lives 
of  the  just,  and  thus  ho  forms  a  woof  of  admirable 
variety.  * 

Wiiile  Clerc  was  at  Saint-Achcul  a  son  had  been 
born  to  his  brother  Jules  and  named  Alexis  after 
hij  uncle,  and  the  brightest  hopes  were  already 
founded  upon  the  little  creature.  But  God  had 
only  lent  the  babe.  lie  took  it  back,  scarcely  al- 
lowing him  whose  name  it  would  have  perpetuated 
in  the  family  time  to  smile  upon  it  once  or  twice. 
Uncle  Alexis,  who  fortunately  had  Christian  hearts 
to  deal  with,  hastened  to  dry  the  tears  that  flovvetl 
for  the  loss  of  that  dear  first-born.  *'  Mj  dear  and 
good  Jules,"  he  wrote,  ''I  know  how  deep  is  a 
father's  affection,  and  I  sympathize  with  the  great 
sorrow  you  feel  for  the  loss  of  that  beautiful  child. 
Parents  do  not  measure  their  love  by  the  qualities  of 
their  children  ;  still  the  loss  of  those  tliat  are  the 
most  promising  is  more  to  be  regretted.  I  was  able 
to  judge  myself  tliat  Alexis  promised  a  great  deal. 


Ec 


*  Turn  fie  advnrsis,  turn  ox  prosperig,  justorum  vitam  quasi 
admirabili  varietato  coutexit. 


360 


Alexis  Clcrc. 


5 
I  --5' 


.  . .» 


:l 


"  Fciii]),  wliicli  docs  not  permit  11s  to  doubt  of  tho 
sovereign  und  cti-rnal  happiness  already  i)03£e?sed 
by  that  dear  little  soul,  is  the  only  motive  of  con- 
solation I  can  oiler  to  its  parents.  Jilay  your  hearts 
find  therein,  if  not  full  consolation,  at  least  some 
alleviation." 

Wlio  would  not  have  thought  that  Air.  Clcrc, 
pleased  at  having  his  son  so  near  liim,  would  have 
reconciled  himself  to  a  vocation  v/hicli  did  not 
make  it  necessary  for  them  to  be  separated  ?  If 
Alexis  had  been  captain  of  a  frigate,  he  would 
l^robably  have  spent  the  years  he  passed  at  Vau- 
girard  or  Paris  in  £ai!ing  over  the  seas,  in  visiting 
anew  Africa,  China,  or  Ocoanica,  and  who  knows 
if  he  would  ever  have  seen  his  father  again  ?  But 
no  !  the  father  could  not  bo  persuaded  to  sec  the 
son  a  Jesuit,  and,  cruel  to  himself,  ho  went  so  far 
as  to  refuse,  when  it  was  offered  him,  tho  solace  of 
the  son's  prcsenc?.  A  letter  from  Alexis  to  his 
brother  reveals  this  painful  situation  to  us.  He 
wrote  from  Vaugirard  December  20,  185G  :  *'  My 
good  Jules,  wiU  you  ask  our  father  if  he  will  allow 
nic  to  embrace  him  on  NewYear's  day,  and,  in  case 
he  consents,  let  me  know  the  hour  when  it  will  be 
most  convenient  to  you  to  have  me  call  ?  Also,  in 
case  my  request  should  not  be  granted,  do  nob 
ncglec*;  to  inform  me  how  you  purpose  spending 
that  df.y,  so  that  if  possible  I  may  pay  you  my 
jiumble  respects  as  younger  brother.  .  .  ." 

Lot  us  anticipate  some  years,  so  as  to  drain  this 
chalice  to  the  dregs. 

Ordained   priest   in    the   course   of  September, 


riiir 


11 


Vaugirard. 


\(n 


I  the 

con- 
icarfcs 
£omc 

Clcrc, 

liavG 

d   not 

Y»'ould 
t  Vau- 
isiting 
knows 
?    But 
SCO  the 
;  £0  far 
)lacc  of 
to  his 
.     lie 

1  ullow 
in  case 
will  be 

Also,  ill 
do   not 

pcndin- 
you  my 

l-ain  this 

(lembcr, 


1859,  Fatlior  Clcrc  was  lo  celebrate  his  first  IMat.s 
on  the  2Gtii  of  that  month  in  the  public  chapel  of 
the  School  Saintc-Genevieve.  He  wrote  his  father 
a  letter  dictated  by  the  liveliest  faith,  but  at  the 
same  time  glowing  with  his  filial  tenderness: 

"I  beg  you  most  earnestly,  my  dear  father,  not 
to  be  absent,  so  that  you  may  all  be  united  at  the 
foot  of  the  altar  where  I  shall  iiave  the  incompre- 
hensible honor  of  offering  to  God  omnipotent  his 
only  Son,  like  himself  God  omnipotent,  an  obla- 
tion infinitely  pleasing  to  the  Father  and  Iho 
source  of  all  the  graces  he  bestows  upon  men  ;  the 
honor  of  immohiting  the  Victim  that  satisfies  for 
the  sins  of  the  world,  of  renewing  the  sacrifice  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  on  Calvary,  lie  it  is  who 
is  the  reconciliation  of  God  with  sinners.  There 
is  no  debt,  noolTencc  which  God  docs  not  remit  to 
him  who  presents  as  satisfaction  and  reparation 
the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  who  has  made  himself 
our  bondsman.  Can  you  turn  away  your  eyes  from 
the  proof  of  this  which  iiC  offers  you — a  proof  so 
well  suited  to  touch  your  heait,  since  it  is  in  your 
son  that  he  causes  the  munificence  rf  his  pardons 
to  be  displayed  ?  Will  you  not  see  the  signal  honor 
to  which  he  raises  me  ?  After  having  drawn  mo 
from  the  shame  and  abasement  of  sin,  ho  places 
me  among  the  princes  of  his  people.  God  is  more 
jealous,  more  i)roud  of  his  mercy  than  of  his  other 
attributes ;  he  wants  to  show  you  how  he  propor- 
tions his  graces  to  our  needs. 

''Come  and  adore  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  repos- 
ing in  my  hands;  the  good  Jesus,  after  having  ex- 


\62 


Alexis  Clcrc. 


:'f.'  :i 


hanstcd  his  blood  in  F:uffcring  for  iitj,  coiilJ  only 
satisfy  Lis  love  by  giving  iiimseJf  to  us,  in  a  man- 
ner as  perfect  as  it  is  wonderful,  in  the  Iloly 
Eucharist. 

^'  Come,  my  dear  father,  and  receive  the  first 
blessing  from  my  hands ;  come  and  witness  the 
grandeur,  the  majesty  of  the  religion  that  without 
humiliating  the  father  enables  the  son  to  bless 
him. 

"  It  is  to  me  a  need  and  a  duty  of  gratitude  and 
love  to  invite  you  to  these  heavenly  joys,  and  to 
communicate  to  you  the  first  fruits  of  the  graces 
and  benedictions  God  wills  to  shed  abroad  by  my 
hands.     May  you  one  day  bo  filled  with  them  ! 

*'I  conjure  you  yet  once  more,  my  dear  father, 
to  give  to  this  august  and  solemn  festival  the  com- 
l)letion,  necessary  to  my  heart,  of  your  presence." 

Undoubtedly  Mr.  Clerc  was  moved  while  read- 
ing these  words,  full  of  an  emotion  proceeding  from 
the  innermost  depths  of  a  soul  that  had  not  ceased 
to  be  dear  to  him.  ISTcverthelcss  he  stood  firm 
and  resisted  the  inspirations  of  his  own  heart. 
He  did  not  attend  the  first  Mass  of  his  son. 

Clerc  was  no  longer  in  Paris,  but  in  our  house 
of  Laval,  pursuing  his  theology,  when  his  father 
died,  December  30,  1SG3.  The  old  man,  who  sank 
insensibly,  without,  however,  having  in  anything 
altered  his  habits,  had  expired  without  any  crisis, 
without  any  agony,  with  none  of  Lis  children  near 
him,  and  in  a  Avay  so  unexpected  that  no  priest 
assisti'd  at  his  last  hour.  Alexia'  grief  was  mute; 
it  was  long  since  I  he  measure  of  it  had  been  full, 


Vaiigirard* 


363 


only 

Holy 


B  first 
ss  the 
itlioiit 
)  bless 

clc  and 

and  to 

3  graces 

.  by  my 


m 


\ 


'  f  atlicr, 

he  com- 

cncc." 

read- 
ujy  from 
ceased 
od  firm 
n  heart. 

ar  house 
13  fatV.er 
,vho  sank 
mything 
iiy  crisis, 
Iren  near 
no  priest 
as  ninte; 
been  i«ll> 


and  his  soul  had  not  dared  to  liope.  He  could  not 
prevent  himself  from  reflecting  painfully  upon  I  lie 
causes,  unfortunately  too  common,  which  had 
kept  the  eyes  of  his  worthy  father  closed  to  the 
light  of  Ciiristianity.  Later,  doubtless,  what  ho 
learned  from  the  lips  of  his  brother  tempered  the 
cruel  bitterness  of  his  lirst  regrets.  Mr.  Clerc  had 
only  apparently  persevered  in  his  insensibility  to 
the  truths  of  faith  ;  with  time  and  under  the  in- 
fluence of  pious  family  examples  that  haughty 
courage  had  weakened,  and  towards  his  last  days 
he  prayed  ;  tliey  heard  him  reciting  earnestly  and 
in  impressive  tone?,  dwelling  upon  each  petition, 
the  Lord's  Prayer.  How  can  wo  believe  that  grace, 
without  which  it  is  impossible  to  invoke  the  Lord 
Jesus,  was  a  stranger  to  those  sentiments  border- 
ing so  closely  on  the  avowal  and  repentance  that 
call  for  pardon  ? 

On  the  occasion  of  a  still  more  sudden  and  far 
otherwise  alarming  death,*  had  not  Father  de 
Ravignan  said  :  *'\Ve  are  unablo  to  penetrate  the 
secrets  of  divine  mercy;  we  can  neither  know  nor 
aflirm  what  passes  in  the  last  moments  of  a  cruel 
and  mysterious  agony  ;  but  Christians,  living  un- 
der the  law  of  hope  no  less  than  under  that  of 
faith  and  love,  we  ouglit  constantly  to  rise  from 
the  depths  of  our  griefs  to  the  thought  of  the  in- 
finite goodness  of  the  Siviour.  Hero  below  there 
is  no  limit,  no  impossibility  between  grace  and  the 


*  That  of  the  Duke  of  Orleans,  the  eldest  son  of  King  Louis 
Philippe.  Sie  llio  "Life  ot  Father  c'c  RavigL an,"  l>y  Father 
A.  de  Ponlevoy,  Taris,  1860,  vol.  i.  p.  2-11. 


■il;^ 


3^H 


Alexis  Clcrc, 


\ 


soul  so  long  as  there  remains  a  breath  of  life.  .  .  . 
Wo  shall  one  clay  become  aeqiuiintcd  with  those 
ineffable  wonders  of  divine  morey ;  wc  must 
never  cease  to  implore  it  with  profound  confi- 
dence.' 

Clcrc  must  have  found  motives  of  consolation 
and  bono  in  these  words  of  bis  holy  friend.  "We 
have  others,  we  who  now  know  what  God  reserved 
for  him  himself.  Before  the  tribunal  of  that  great 
God,  to  whom  all  things  are  eternally  present,  and 
who  considers  what  is  not  yet  as  thoiigli  it  were, 
the  blood  of  tlie  son  already  cried  for  mercy  for  the 
father. 

On  the  1st  of  January  of  the  following  year, 
after  having  offered  the  Holy  SacriGce  for  the  soul 
of  his  poor  father,  Alexis,  addressing  bis  Xew 
Year's  wishes  to  his  brother  and  sister-in-law,  ex- 
pressed his  deep  gratitude  to  them  for  tl'o  nffcc- 
tionatc  care  they  had  lavished  on  tho  old  man  in 
bis  last  days,  and  for  the  sacrifices  they  bad  bad  to 
make  to  bis  humor,  his  tis'es  and  still  more  to 
bis  opinions.  "May  God  reward,"  be  said,  in 
speaking  of  bis  sister-in-law,  "  tbe  extreme  gentle- 
ness she  has  not  ceased  to  slu  w  since  she  entered 
our  family  I  I  believe  that  l.c  children,  tbe  source 
of  so  sweet  a  happiness,  are  be  sure  token  tlmt 
God  has  accepted  so  many  coiicesfions  made  to  t:,e 
love  of  peace.     Ah  !  well,  then, 

'  Princcsse.  ci:  qui  le  Cicl  mit  un  esprit  si  deux,'* 

raise    those  dear    little   treasures,    'a  sweet  and 


*  Princess  to  whom  Heaven  has  given  so  sweet  a  soul. 


1' 


School  Saint e-Gcncvicve, 


3^^5 


I  those 

;  must 

confi- 

;olation 

a.    Wo 

reserved 
at  great 
3nt,  anil 
it  were, 
y  for  the 

nor  year, 
the  soul 
liis  Kew 
-law,  ex- 
,]<o  nffcc- 
d  man  in 
id  had  to 
more  to 
said,    in 
lie  genth>- 
ic  entered 
he  source 
oken  tluit 
ade  to  tie 


sweet  and 
et  a  soul. 


frail  hoii:,^  in  the  love  of  Jesus  Christ  and  of 
the  Blessed  Virgin.  If  we  had  not,  your  Jiushand 
and  I,  learned  the  truths  of  faith  at  the  knees  of  a 
woman  who  was  aUo  very  gentle  and  very  Chris- 
tian, after  years  of  forgetfulness,  the  grace  of  God 
might  perhai)s  have  knocked  in  vain  at  the  door  of 
our  hearts,  and  you  would  not  to-chiy  havo  near 
yours  that  upripht,  loyal,  pure,  strong  heart  which 
you  know  how  to  understand  and  love." 

Lot  us  now  retrace  our  step?.  We  have  nothcen 
willing  to  separate  these  pages  that  show  us  in 
Alexis  the  good  son  and  the  good  hrother ;  but 
they  aie  posterior  in  date  to  the  point  where  we 
left  his  biography — that  is,  to  tlie  scholastic  yeur 
185C-1857,  which  he  spent  entirely  at  the  CcUcge 
of  Vaugirard. 

The  following  year,  appointed  professor  of  mathe- 
matics in  the  School  Saiute-Genevieve,  he  entered 
upon  that  course  of  teaching  which  was  to  occup}^ 
almost  exclusively  and  to  the  end,  his  active  years. 
Naturally  his  place  was  there  ;  his  previous  studies 
as  well  as  his  mental  gifts,  his  quality  of  old  jmpil  of 
the  Polytechnic  School,  his  title  of  licentiate  of  the 
mathematical  sciences,  all  recommended  him  for 
that  employment,  and  by  assigning  him  anotlier  our 
superiors  would  havo  seemed  to  poorly  justify  the 
reputation  they  have  of  putting  each  man  at  the 
post  that  suits  him  best,  and  which  he  is  best  fitted 
to  occui^y. 

It  is  true  they  might  have  first  sent  him  to  study 
his  theology,  so  that  having  to  follow  a  four  years' 
course  he  could  have  passed  his  last  examinations 


366 


Alexis  Clerc. 


^  • 

g;  -     .,N 

r^  f 

^>  ■•       '"f 

S  ••      w 

5**- 

J  1: 


afc  the  age  of  about  forty-one — a  ratlier  mature  age, 
and  one  that  it  was  a  little  nnusnal  to  sec  on  the 
benches.  But  the  School  Saintc-Gencvieve,  newly 
established,  needed  jirofessors,  and  it  is  self-evident 
that  in  those  beginnings  there  was  no  great  variety 
of  choice.  Several  of  the  persons  who  would  have 
succeeh'd  there  required  preparation;  Clerc  was 
already  prepared  and  ready  to  take  ;  they  took  him 
without  as'ving  him  if  another  destination  would  not 
be  more  ajreeablc.  Others  besides  him  made  the 
same  sacrifice,  and  made  it  joyfully.  It  is  the 
honor  and  strength  of  our  Institute  that  in  sucli 
eases  individual  interests  retire  before  the  superior 
interest  oT  the  glory  of  God. 

When  that  preparatory  school,  which  is  now 
f  ourishing  and  even  celebrated,  was  seen  to  open 
very  modestly  in  our  house  of  the  Eue  Lhomond 
(formerly  Rue  dcs  Postes),  tliere  were  not  wanting 
people  to  warn  us  that  certain  failure  awaited  us. 
These  people  added  that  if  we  had  succeeded  in 
our  colleges  in  making  bachelors  of  letters,  we 
would  perhaps  be  less  fortunate  in  teaching  the 
sciences,  and  that  in  any  case  the  struggle  would  be 
a  sharp  one.  Truly,  the  enterprise  was  bold  and 
somewhat  hazardous.  The  similar  establishments 
with  which  we  would  have  to  compete  had  in  their 
favor  (some  of  them  at  least)  a  half  century  of 
existence  and  success,  reputation,  acquired  ex- 
perience, wealth,  and  a  numerous  corps  of  teachers 
perfectly  trained,  while  we  had  nothing  of  the 
sort.  However,  those  obstacles  were  surmounted, 
and  we  even  did  not  have  to  w^ait  long  for  success. 


ScJiool  Saintc-Gcnevicve. 


\67 


3  age, 

n  iUe 
newly 
v'ident 
variety 
i  have 
re  was 
)k  liin^ 
aid  not 
ide  the 
13  the 
in  sxicli 
superior 

is  now 
to  open 
ihomond 
wanting 
aited  ns. 
eeded  in 
ters,  we 
hing  the 
would  he 
bold  and 
ishments 
d  in  their 
entury  of 
uired    ex- 
f  teachers 
tig  of  the 
rmounted, 
or  success. 


By  what  means  did  the  new-comers  achieve  so  re- 
spcctahle  a  place  heside  their  formidable  conipeLi- 
tors  ?  By  self-devotion — a  self-devotion  such  as 
all  human  motives  combined  could  not  inspire.  To 
sacriCce  their  time  and  tastes,  their  health,  their 
strength,  and  the  vigor  of  their  youth,  witliout  pos- 
sible compensation  in  this  world — this  is  what  re- 
ligious have  been  able  to  do  by  the  grace  of  their 
vocation,  what  God  has  blessed,  and  to-day  we  be- 
hold its  fruits.  Wo  do  not  refer  only  to  the  results 
of  the  examinations,  to  the  pupils  admitted  to  the 
Polytechnic  School,  Saint-Cyr,  the  Xaval,  Central, 
Agricultural  Schools,  etc.;  they  may  now  be  counted 
by  hundreds  and  thousands  ;  they  fill  the  armies  of 
sea  and  land,  not  to  mention  the  civil  careers  where 
they  do  not  take  the  lowest  ranlc.  But  the  bloody 
battles  of  our  la^c  wars  proved  that  they  joossessed 
merits  far  more  precious  to  their  country  than  pro- 
fessional knowledge  and  high  mental  culture.  A 
hundred  of  those  noble  young  men  slain  by  the 
enemy,  and  fallen  'vvith  their  arms  in  their  hands, 
are  the  worthy  crown  of  masters  who  also  knew 
how  to  shed  their  blood  for  a  cause  not  less  beauti- 
ful, or  rather  for  the  same  cause,  masters  and 
pupils  having  but  one  cry  and  one  device :  God 
and  the  country  I  \ 

There,  at  Sainte-Genevievc,  Clcrc  met  among  his 
new  colleagues  Father  Leon  Ducondray,  then  a 
simple  surveillant,  who  later  became  his  superioi'. 


+  See  "Souvenirs  of  the  School  Samte-Genevieve.  Notices 
of  the  pupils  slain  by  the  eneui}'."  By  the  Rev.  Father  Chau- 
veau,  S.J.    3  vols,  in  18. 


3^8 


Alexis  CI  ere. 


and  of  whom  he  was  the  companion  in  death. 
How  suited  they  were  to  one  anotlier  !  With  an 
ardor  more  restrained  and  less  readily  enkindled, 
there  was  in  Father  Ducondray  the  same  abnega- 
tion, the  same  active  and  joyous  generosity,  the 
same  devotedness  to  the  common  cause.  His  vo- 
cation, less  extraordinary  in  certain  aspects,  had 
nevertheless  cost  him  more  than  one  sacrifice.  A 
doctor  of  laws,  of  high  birth,  possessor  of  a  hand- 
some fortune,  endowed  with  noble  faculties  en- 
hanced by  the  perfect  elegance  of  his  person  and 
manners,  he  might  have  aspired  to  the  most 
distinguished  position  in  the  world  and  in  the 
higher  walks  of  public  life  where  he  would  natu- 
rally have  entered.  He  preferred  to  live  poor 
and  unknown  for  the  love  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  at 
the  ago  of  twenty-five  he  left  all — his  brilliant  fu- 
ture and  an  admirable  mother  justly  proud  of  such 
a  son — to  enter  the  Society  of  Jesus.  The  supe- 
riors were  not  slow  in  discovering  his  merit,  but 
they  made  no  haste  to  put  him  on  a  pinnacle. 
After  two  years  of  novitiate,  after  another  year 
consecrated  to  the  study  of  philosophy  and  the 
preparation  for  an  examination,  they  assigned  him 
the  humble  but  important  duties  of  a  surveillant, 
too  like  those  which  God  confides  to  his  angels  for 
a  true  religious  to  despise  them.  In  his  discharge 
of  them  he  displayed  a  rare  maturity  and  a  re- 
markable clear-sightedness.  *'IIe  was,*'  some  one 
who  knew  him  well  has  said,  **  a  surveillant  of  im- 
posing presence."  I  can  well  believe  it.  As  he 
walked  in  the  presence  of  God  he  possessed  liis 


ScJiool  Saint c-  Genevieve, 


3^ 


path, 
.li  an 
died, 
aega- 
',  tlio 
is  vo- 
1,  had 

c.     A 
band- 
ies en- 
)n  and 
2   most 
in   tlie 
1  natu- 
e   poor 
[  and  at 
ant  fn- 
of  sncli 
supe- 
rit,  but 
innaclo. 
ler  year 
and  the 
ncd  bim 
eillant, 
ngels  for 
iscbarge 
nd  a  rc- 
£ome  one 
nt  of  ini- 
:.     As  be 
essed  bis 


soul  in  peace,  and  a  certain  calm  dignity  never 
forsook  bim.  Tbcrefore  nobody  was  astonisbcd 
when,  still  yoimpf,  bis  theology  being  completed, 
lie  was  named  xentor.  IIo  was  in  every  respect 
equal  to  Ills  position,  and,  having  to  face  uncom- 
mon difficulties  that  would  have  disconcerted  a  less 
valiant  soul,  he  triumphed  over  them  by  his  sub- 
lime abnegation  and  the  greatness  of  his  faith. 
Clerc  also  knew  at  the  School  Saintc-Genevieve 
Father  Caubert,  who,  on  the  fatid  May  2G,  1871, 
accompanied  Father  Olivaintand  Father  de  Bengy 
to  the  last  combat,  and  fell  with  them  under  the 
shooting  of  the  Rue  llaxo.  To-day  one  same  tomb 
reunites  them  all,  and  together  thoy  repose  glori- 
ously at  the  foot  of  the  Altar  of  the  Martyrs. 

Thus  we  sec  how  the  future  martyr  of  La  Ro- 
quetto  found  himself  in  his  element  in  the  com- 
pany of  souls  of  the  same  metal,  the  same  quality 
as  his  own  ;  and  he  proved  to  himself  that  he  was 
not  deceived  when,  fleeing  from  the  world  and 
dreading  the  contagion  of  its  vices,  he  said  on  the 
day  of  his  election  :  *'  The  common  life  in  a  re- 
ligious community  carries  you,  almost  without 
your  being  aware  of  it,  to  the  opposite  virtues, 
and  by  good  example  encourages  you  to  all  the 
others." 

The  eight  years  he  passed  at  the  School  Sainte- 
Uenevieve  may  be  summed  up  in  two  words  :  ho 
effaced  himself  more  and  n.ore  and  ho  devoted 
himself  without  reserve.  Bjfore  as  well  as  after 
his  theology  charged  with  a  class  of  the  second  or 
third  grade,  he  did  not  shine  more  than  others 


370 


Alexis  Clcrc, 


*   I 


■5 


whoso  knowlodgc  was  not  nearly  so  extensive  nor 
so  jirofouncl.  One  of  his  superiors,  like  him  a 
impil  of  the  Polytechnic  School,  consitlerod  his 
course  ainwsl  too  learned.  From  the  entirely  prac- 
tical point  of  view  of  the  preparation  for  the  ex- 
aminations, this  is  not  an  encomium.  It  may  bo 
that  liis  essentially  quick  and  intuitive  mind  had 
some  difficulty  in  regulating  its  steps  so  as  to  ren- 
der it  easy  for  all  to  follow.  He  made  up  for  this 
fault  by  an  nnvar}i!ig  kindiiess  of  manner  that  sot 
Ijis  jiupils  perfectly  at  their  case,  and  allowed  them 
to  ask  of  him,  in  season  and  out  of  season,  all  the 
explanations  they  wanted.  Some  lines  from  his 
hand  show  us  in  what  a  truly  supernatural  spirit, 
with  what  detachment  from  self  and.  humble  ac- 
quiescence in  the  will  of  God,  he  accepted,  in  its 
plenitude,  however  repugnant  to  nature  and  how- 
ever ungrateful  it  might  be,  the  task  obedience 
imposed  upon  Lim  in  the  rather  varied  duties  he 
IkkI  to  perform  at  Sainte-Gcnevieve's: 

**Tiie  employment  I  received  with  indifference 
seems  to  me  the  most  desirable  in  the  house  : 

"Teaching  the  sciences  useful  to  the  temporal 
career  of  the  children. 

**  Teaching  the  truths  of  religion,  and  finally 
teaching  virtue. 

"  For  the  first  and  second  points  I  need  to  labor; 
for  the  third,  to  be  closely  united  with  Jesus 
Christ — I  shall  strive  for  thi.-",  and  I  shall  explain 
the  life  of  our  Lord  to  the  sodality. 

*'My  instructions  will  be  less  didactic,  more 
conversational. 


School  Saiiiic-  Goicvicvc, 


371 


*MVitli  regard  to  extra  duties,  I  wisli  to  Ijo  like 
the  old  man's  stick." 

Thus  Fdtlicr  Clerc,  then  a  priest,  was  that  year  : 
1,  professor  of  mathematics  (teaching  the  sciences 
useful  to  the  tcrnpoiMl  career  of  the  children)  ;  2, 
charged  with  a  catcciiism  class  (teaching  the 
truths  of  religion) ;  3,  director  of  a  sodality,  and 
that  was  principally  where  he  had  lo  leach  virtue. 
Bi'sides  all  this,  he  was  called  upon  for  certain 
corvees,  or  extra  duties,  which  did  not  fall  under 
any  of  these  three  heads,  and  of  which  the  com- 
plete enumeration  is  impos3;ble,  since  they  were 
composed  especially  of  accidental  and  unforeseen 
requirements.  To  take  tho  pupils  to  walk,  not 
always,  bo  it  well  understood,  in  the  finest  of 
weather;  on  the  days  of  dismissal  to  accompany 
them  to  the  railroad  depots  ;  on  the  opening  days 
to  survey  the  parlors,  courts  and  corridors,  etc., 
etc. — all  that  has  nothing  to  do  with  teaching  ma- 
thematics, and  it  is  not  to  the  honorable  professors 
of  our  lyceums  that  wo  need  Jiddress  ourselves  for 
the  performance  of  such  work.  They  intrench 
themselves  in  their  classes,  as  is  their  right :  {<uin}i 
cuique.  Only  would  to  God  that  this  surveillance 
of  every  moment  wherein  the  good  deportment  and 
the  morality  of  tho  pupils  are  concerned  to  the 
highest  degree,  were  not  abandoned  to  subordi- 
nates destitute  of  authority  as  well  as  of  personal 
dignity,  and  incapabl3  of  inspiring  youth  with  the 
respect  they  do  not  always  have  lor  themselves  ! 
This,  it  must  be  admitted,  is  one  of  the  plague- 
spots  in  laic  education,  and  it  is  vain  to  seek  a  re- 


li 


!    1 

I  ; 
i  i 


1  ■ 


,.^.. 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-S) 


/. 


t/- 


A 


1.0 


I.I 


Hi 

130 


lU 


128     |2  5 


22 


1^  m 

^  lis  IIIIIM 


1.25  ■  1.4 


l.w 


1.6 


m 


/a 


A 


y 


/^ 


.<<^ 


^ 


I 


372 


Aiiwis  CIcrc, 


medy  outside  of  the  sentiments  faitli  plants  in 
the  heart  of  the  religious  and  the  priest.  With 
zeal  for  souls  and  with  religious  obedience,  all  be- 
comes easy,  and  that  which  everywhere  else  is  es- 
teemed petty  and  contemptible  is  ennobled  by  the 
loftiness  of  the  object  and  the  grandeur  of  the  re- 
sult. Ah  !  there  is  no  doubt  but  that,  humanly 
speaking,  it  is  a  pretty  disagreeable  business  to 
conduct  a  ^qiiad  of  youth  on  a  promenade,  espe- 
cially through  the  streets  and  boulevards  of  Paris, 
where  there  are  unfortunate  contacts  and  splashes 
of  more  than  one  sort  to  be  dreaded  for  them.  But 
one  docs  not  become  a  religious,  and  in  particular 
a  Jesuit,  to  have  a  good  time,  and  if  a  man  has  the 
holy  passion  of  glorifying  God  and  saving  souls  by 
mortifying  himself,  he  will  find  therein  the  means 
with  all  the  chances  in  the  world  of  escaping  the 
assaults  of  vain  glory  and  the  surprises  of  self-love. 
If  it  costs  a  little — and  it  will  sometimes  co?t  a 
good  deal  to  nature — at  least  it  is  not  trouble  wast- 
ed and  the  result  is  sure  in  the  long  run.  In  spile 
of  the  levity  of  their  age,  the  young  understand  by 
instinct  that  if  a  man  of  merit,  after  so  many  other 
sacrifices,  gives  up  for  their  sake  his  rest  and  his 
case,  it  is  because  he  expects  much  of  them,  and, 
touched  by  such  devotedness,  they  labor  to  render 
themselves  worthy  of  it.  It  is  for  them  the  seed 
of  better  sentiments,  and  certain  ones  of  them  will 
tell  you  that  thus  they  were  won,  without  exactly 
knowing  how,  to  duty  and  virtue.  Never  from  the 
height  of  his  chair,  wlicre,  however,  he  gave  proof 
of  science,  talent,  and  zeal,  did  the  most  accom- 


School  Sa  in  te-  Gene  via  'c. 


373 


plislied  professor  gain  sucli  an  influence  over  tliem. 
But  they  saw  that  same  professor  descend  to  their 
level,  enter,  so  to  speak,  into  their  everyday  school 
life,  perhap?  join  in  tlicir  games,  wear  himself  out 
from  morning  to  night  in  making  himself  all  to 
all.  There  is  no  more  to  be  said  ;  they  know  with 
what  a  true  and  sure  friend  they  have  to  deal,  and 
it  will  be  very  difficult  for  them  to  resist  his  en- 
treaties when  he  shall  ask  as  his  only  reward  that 
t:iey  perform  their  duty  conscientiously,  that  they 
think  in  sober  earnest  of  becoming  not  only  honest 
men,  but  good  men,  true  and  solid  Ciiristians. 

Behold  hov;  great  is  the  importance  of  those 
humble  and  fatiguing  corvccs  in  a  house  of  Chris- 
ti  n  education  !  St.  Ignatius  says  that  the  obe- 
dient religious  is  like  a  stick  in  an  old  man's  hand. 
Father  Clcrc,  making  the  most  meritorious  appli- 
cation (f  this  to  himself,  desires  to  be  liJce  a  stick 
for  the  corvees.  Those  who  saw  him  at  he  work 
say  that  he  acquitted  himsell:  of  it  with  tlie  best 
grace  in  the  worh""  Therefore  he  was  universally 
beloved  and  respected  by  his  pupils. 

If  he  thus  devoted  himself  with  his  whole  heart 
to  what  related  only  to  exterior  discipline,  what 
was  he  in  his  catechism  class,  in  his  sodality, 
where  he  taught  not  mathematics  but  virtue  and 
religion  ? 

Ilia  sodality  was  composed  of  future  pupils  of 
the  Polytechnic  School ;  they  wore  the  head,  the 
elite  of  the  School  Sainte-Genevieye,  and  as  in  gene- 
ral they  joined  the  distinction  of  talent  to  the  au- 
thority of  virtue  and  character,  their  example  was 


374 


Alexis  Clcrc. 


very  powerful  in  llic  house,  and  it  depended  upon 
them  in  some  sort  to  lead  t!ie  rest  of  their  com- 
panions in  the  good  path.  Father  Clerc  applied 
himself  to  strengthening  their  faith,  to  arming  it 
against  the  dangers  that  would  soon  assail  it,  to 
inspiring  them  with  a  sincere,  manly,  and  generous 
virtue,  a  tender  devotion  towards  Jesus  Christ  and 
his  holy  Mother,  and  to  putting  under  the  care  of 
t'le  Virgin  Immaculate  all  tlie  treasures  the  purity 
of  a  hoart  of  twenty  years  promises  to  mature  age. 
His  sodalists  venerated  him  as  a  saint,  and  loved 
him  as  iho  best  of  fathers.  "He  gave  all  his 
heart  to  his  sodality,"  s:iid  the  Rev.  Father  de  Pon- 
levoy,  w!io,  visiting  the  School  Sainte-Genevieve  in 
the  capacity  of  Provincial,  was  particularly  watch- 
ful of  all  that  belonged  to  the  service  of  God,  and 
could  not  he  indifferent  to  a  spectacle  so  consoling 
to  his  fiiih.  "I  was  present  at  the  reunions 
several  times,"  he  added,  "  to  preside  over  them. 
It  is  impossible  to  describe  the  joy  that  reflected, 
from  Father  Clerc's  person  when  he  was  in  the 
midst  of  all  his  children." 

His  children — that  is  the  right  word,  and  what 
we  shall  see  of  the  affectionate  relations  that  were 
formed  between  them  and  him,  and  continued 
always  intimate  and  confiding  long  after  their  en- 
trance in  the  world,  will  show  how  deep  was  liis 
influence  on  the  hearts  that  had  once  been  touched 
by  the  flame  of  his  charity  and  zeal. 

Lot  us  now  say  a  few  words  about  the  four 
years  Father  Clerc  consecrated  to  the  study  of 
dogmatic  theology  (18G1-18G5),    and    which    he 


Laval, 


375 


to 


passed  at  the  scholasticate  of  Laval,  where  he  is 
afifectionately  romemberecl. 

At  tlio  age  of  forty-one  he  once  more  took  his 
l)liice  on  the  benches,  and  this,  wo  may  believe, 
most  cheerfully,  happy  to  obey  his  superiors,  and 
happy  beyond  all  expression  to  find  his  St.  Thomas 
af?aiu  and  to  hold  lonpf  and  studious  conversations 
with  him.  I  sav  St.  Thomas  ?  It  was  the  whole 
school  that  came  to  visit  him,  and  he  welcomed 
them  most  gladly.  Now  Suarcz,  and  now  Tolctus 
or  Fonscca — his  note-books  show  this — in  turn  oc- 
cupied his  learned  leisure,  and  he  abandoned  him- 
self without  constraint  to  the  inclination  he  had 
always  felt  for  scholasticism.  We  must  note  this 
as  a  feature  of  his  character,  and  it,  is  not  the  least 
attractive.  lie  had  in  everything  a  horror,  if  I  may 
dare  so  to  speak,  of  the  quod  justum,  and  he  in- 
clined to  all  that  he  judged  not  only  useful  with  a 
practical  and  immetliate  utility,  but  with  a  nobly 
supererogatory  one  ;  and  as  he  had  put  a  certain 
luxury  in  his  use  of  corporal  mortifications,  he  put 
it  likewise  in  his  studies,  always  following  that 
generous  impetus  which  we  have  remarked  in  him 
from  the  first  of  his  novitiate,  persuaded  that  there 
should  be  nothing  mediocre  in  the  service  of  God. 

Study  was  not  his  sole  occupation.  He  was  a 
priest ;  he  exercised  either  in  Laval  or  in  the 
neighboring  towns  some  of  the  functions  of  the 
evangelical  ministry,  and  even  gave  missions  in  the 
country  districts.  But  it  was  especially  to  the 
laboring  youth  of  the  city  that  he  consecrated  the 
first  fruits  of  his  zeal,  and  hero  is  what  has  been 


37^ 


Alexis  Clerc. 


written  to  us  on  this  subject  by  a  friend  who,  hap- 
pening to  be  in  Laval,  was  kind  enongli  to  ques- 
tion in  our  interest  the  still  vivid  recollections  pre- 
served there,  and  to  send  us  the  facts  he  gathered 
from  the  surest  sources  : 

"  The  members  of  the  Conference  of  St.  Vincent 
dc  Paul  still  gladly  remember  Father  Cierc's  first 
efforts  as  catechist  of  the  apprentice?.  His  in- 
structions were  solid  and  perfectly  adapted  to  his 
auditory ;  he  knew  especially  how  to  captivate 
them  by  interesting  narrations.  Consequently  the 
young  men  loved  to  hear  him,  and  several  havo 
since  declared  that  they  found  a  powerful  help  in 
his  advice. 

"  Another  still  more  important  work  assigned 
him  by  his  superiors  did  not  permit  him  to  con- 
tinue his  catechism  classes.  I  refer  to  the  CEuvre 
de  Beauregard.  To  withdraw  young  persons  from 
the  dangerous  pleasures  of  the  city  by  furnishing 
them  with  innocent  amusements — such  was  the 
idea  which  presided  at  the  foundation  of  that  cha- 
ritable institution.  On  Sundays  and  holydays  the 
young  workmen  are  assembled  in  a  house  pleasant- 
ly situated.  There  they  attend  Mass  and  Vespers, 
rest  among  jo}'ous  companions  from  tlie  labors  of 
the  week,  and  in  the  evening  return  to  their 
families.  They  are  generally  remarked  for  their 
peaceful  habits  and  their  industry.  Ilovy  different 
from  those  poor  workmen  who  exhaust  their 
strength  in  debauchery,  and  wearily  resume  their 
interrupted  labor ! 

'^  Father  Clerc  was  not  slow  in  making  himself 


Laval, 


3/7 


con- 
uvre 
I'om 
shing 
tho 
cha- 
1  tho 
asant- 
spers, 
3rs  of 
their 
their 
lerent 
their 
their 

imself 


beloved  by  all — by  the  president  and  the  young 
men.  He  took  part  in  all  their  games,  so  as  to 
animate  thom  by  his  example.  Ilia  skill  was  jho- 
vcrbial.  He  challenged  the  strongest,  and  often 
allowed  himself  to  be  beaten,  so  as  to  give  his  an- 
tagonists the  honor  and  pleasure  of  victory.  When 
inclement  weather  prevented  the  noisy  band  from 
enjoying  its  sport  in  (lie  field,  Father  Clerc  was  the 
ctnire  around  whicli  it  gathered  ;  and  then  began 
a  story  of  palpitating  interest,  an  interminable 
story,  with  a  plot  that  grew  more  or  less  compli- 
cated according  to  tho  duration  of  the  bad  weather. 
All  listened  wioh  the  greatest  attention,  and  even 
frequently,  notwithstanding  the  return  of  clear 
skies,  the  narrator  yielded  to  tho  gentle  violence 
that  was  done  him,  and  brought  tho  tale  to  a 
happy  denouement, 

"If  there  was  question  of  an  administrative 
measure,  his  advice  was  generally  adopted  as  tlie 
best.  Was  it  necessary  to  employ  severity  against 
an  unruly  spirit,  Father  Clerc  interceded  for  the 
culprit :  his  heart  was  so  merciful !  Did  a  boy  de- 
serve to  be  expelled,  tho  father  was  only  with  dif- 
ficulty induced  to  consent ;  he  wanted  them  to 
wait,  for  to  his  way. of  thinking  it  was  a  soul  the 
more  that  would  be  lost." 

AVe  know,  besides,  and  from  an  equally  sure 
source,  that  tiie  zeal  he  expended  in  this  work — in 
the  pursuit  of  souk — frequently  had  the  sweetest 
and  most  consoling  results.  His  amiable  plaj/ful- 
ness  had  gained  him  all  hearts,  but  his  influence 
Vr'as  especially  great  over  such  of  those  young  per- 


3;8 


Alexis  Clcrc. 


'^.l 


sons  as  wore  approaching  a  maturer  ago,  and  some 
of  them,  docile  to  his  counsels,  made  remarkable 
progress  in  virtue.  One  among  them  at  the  age  of 
twenty-six  commenced  his  classical  studies  so  as  to 
enter  holy  orders.  What  was  not  Father  Clerc's 
ardor  in  seconding  his  design  ?  What  measures  ho 
took,  what  fatigue  he  endured  !  He  did  not  rest 
until  he  had  lorocuved  for  the  young  man,  as  far  as 
was  in  his  power,  the  necessary  assistance  for  pur- 
suing his  studies  and  sujiplying  the  place  of  his 
daily  earnings. 

So  it  was  that  within  the  limits  of  what  was  pos- 
sible, and  without  allowing  his  zeal  for  theology  to 
be  cooled.  Father  Clerc  during  his  stay  at  Laval 
spent  his  happiest  leisure  hours  in  the  practice  of 
that  ingenious  and  active  charity  with  the  secrets 
of  which  he  had  long  been  acquainted,  and  which 
had  caused  it  to  be  said  of  him  at  Tndrct,  while  he 
was  still  an  officer  of  the  navy,  that  he  alone  was 
worth  a  whole  Conference  of  St.  Vincent  de  Paul. 

And  now,  in  concluding  this  chapter,  one  of  the 
shortest  of  this  biography  wherein  we  have  chiefly 
at  heart  exact  veracity,  may  we  be  permitted  a  re- 
flection ?  .  • 

Here,  then,  gathered  into  a  very  few  pages,  is  all 
of  interest  we  have  been  able  to  glean  concerning 
that  considerable  portion  of  the  religious  life  of 
our  beloved  brother  comprised  between  the  end  cf 
his  novitiate  and  the  beginning  of  his  third  proba- 
tion— that  is  to  say,  in  thirteen  full  years,  of  which 
he  passed  one  at  Vaugirard,  eight  at  the  School 
Siinte-Genevieve,  and   the   other  four  at  Laval. 


Laval, 


379 


Assnredly,  from  a  merely  liuman  point  of  view, 
it  is  very  little  and  unimportant,  and,  even  so, 
we  may  perhaps  bo  reproached  for  having,  in  our 
brevity,  insisted  too  much  upon  certain  details. 
Still,  the  author  of  the  "Imitation"  tells  us  in 
fitting  words  :  ''It  is  no  small  matter  to  dwell  in 
monasteries  or  in  a  congregation,  and  t(f  live  with 
our  brethren  without  reproach,  and  to  persevere 
faithfully  until  death."*  But  when  the  death 
which  crowns  so  holy  a  life  is  that  of  a  martyr, 
what  think  you  of  it  ?  Was  it  not  worth  the  while  to 
enquire  about  the  hidden  or  but  slightly-shining 
merits  to  which  God  in  his  wisdom  reserved  the 
incomparable  honor  of  that  supreme  victory  ? 

This  is  why,  having  to  unroll  those  thirteen 
years  of  religious  life,  where  day  succeeds  day  wilh- 
out  changing  the  routine  of  occupations  or  varying 
the  employment  of  the  hours,  we  have  not  deemed 
that  we  ought,  for  the  sake  of  pleasing  the  worldly, 
to  omit  incidents  small  and  vulgar  in  appearance, 
but  wherein  a  practised  eye  will  discern  by  the 
li^ht  of  faith  the  grand  characters  of  a  virtue  proof 
to  the  rudest  combats  and  equal  to  all  sacrifices, 

*Non  est  parvum  iti  monastoriis  vel  in  congregatione 
habitare,  et  ihi  sine  querela  conversari,  <  t  usque  ad  mortem 
fidelis  persoverare  ("Imit.,"  1.  i.  cap.  xvii.) 


CHAPTER  XII. 


FATHER  CLEBC  AND  HIS  PUPILS. 


"We  have  not  said  all  there  is  to  be  said  about 
the  professorship  of  Father  Clcrc.  "Wo  must  look 
at  its  fruits.  "By  their  fruits  you  shall  ki)ow 
them  "  (Matt.  vii.  16).  There  was  something  very 
beautiful  about  his  relations  with  his  pupils.  A 
devoted  professor,  devoured  with  the  wish  of  being 
useful  to  those  committed  to  his  charge,  he  loved 
and  he  was  loved ;  he  gave  himself  to  them,  and 
they  gave  themselves  to  him  as  youth  knows  how 
to  give,  without  bargaining  and  witliout  dreaming 
of  taking  back  the  gift.  This  is  what  we  lerrii 
from  numerous  letters  he  carefully  preserved  in  his 
private  archives  as  so  many  souvenirs  of  an  ever 
precious  past.  Was  it  not  very  allowable  for  him, 
in  the  evenings  of  his  laborious  and  full  days,  to 
rest  himself  in  the  shade  of  those  young  and  fresh 
friendships,  and  to  breathe  the  perfume  that  ex- 
haled from  the  hearts  of  liia  dear  pupils  ? 

"We  have  breathed  it  after  him,  and  we  are  em- 
balmed with  it.  Perfect  stranger  as  we  were  to 
the  circumstances  mentioned  iu  these  letters  whose 
writers  were  unknown  to  us,  we  have  not  been  able 
to  escape  a  sympathetic  emotion  while  penetrating 

880 


Father  CUrc  and  his  Pupils. 


;Si 


about 

t  look 

know 

g  very 

Is.     A 
[being 
5  loved 
m,  and 
vs  bow 
earning 
c  lerrn 
1  in  bis 
m  ever 
)!'  bim, 


lays, 


to 


id  f  resli 
bat  ex- 
are  em- 
wero  to 
•s  wbosc 
eeii  able 
etrating 


much  further  than  wo  liad  hoped  to,  into  tlie  inner 
Ij/c  of  that  class  that  was  Father  Clerc's  delight 
and  that  had  so  great  a  resemblance  to  a  closely- 
united  family. 

We  do  not  think  wc  arc  indiscreet  in  unfolding 
some  of  the  pages  of  this  correspondence,  whoso 
gravest  conlidences  need  have  no  fear  of  revela- 
tion. They  are  flowers  gathered  in  Father  Clerc's 
garden  and  of  which  we  would  weave  him  a  crown. 
His  old  pupils  will  not  be  displeased  that  the  world 
should  learn  that  if  ho  was  all  tenderness  towards 
them,  he  had  not,  thank  God  !  ingrates  to  deal 
with. 

It  was  in  October,  18G1,  the  time  of  the  reopen- 
ing of  the  school ;  Father  Clerc  had  the  preceding 
year  been  the  professor  of  the  cours  ties  inarms  (a 
course  preparatory  to  the  Naval  School),  boys  of 
about  fifteen  years  of  age  and  the  youngest  of 
all  in  the  School  Sainte-Genevieve.*  They  are  no 
sooner  arrived  than  they  are  eager  to  throw  them- 
selves into  the  arms  of  their  excellent  master. 
But,  alas  !  his  room  is  empty,  and  they  are  told 
that  he  has  been  gone  from  the  house  some  weeks; 
he  is  now  at  Laval,  where  be  will  spend  several 
years.  What  a  bitter  deception  for  them  !  What 
regrets  !  what  complaints  !  One  would  have  sup- 
posed they  were  victims  of  treason,  and  that  a  base 
advantage  had  been  taken  of  their  absence.  How 
was  it  that  the  father-provincial,  the  author  of 
this  change,  had  not  consulted  them  ?    Then,  the 

♦  This  section  has  since  been  transferred  to  Brest  im  the  im- 
mediate neighborhood  of  the  school-ship. 


id 


;S2 


Alexis  Cterc. 


;>.i 


first  emotion  passed,  they  reflect  that  there  is  still 
some  communication  possible  between  Paris  and 
Laval,  and  each  boy  takes  up  his  pen  to  write  to 
his  old  master.  If  I  may  judge  by  the  samples  I 
hayc  before  me,  the  postal  service  had  a  great  deal 
to  do  about  the  end  of  that  particular  October. 

"My  kind  and  dear  father,'*  this  one  writes,  **I 
do  not  mean  that  the  others  shall  write  to  you  and 
your  little  (jars  [he  is  a  Breton]  not,  and  that  you 
should  think  ho  only  remembers  those  who  arc 
present.  I  earnestly  assure  you  I  shall  all  my  life 
remember  your  kindness  to  me.  I  was  very  sorry 
to  leave  Paris  without  being  able  to  say  good-by  to 

you ;  if  Father  P ,  who  took  mo  to  the  depot, 

had  not  prevented  me  from  going  to  your  room,  I 
ghould  not  have  left  so,"  etc.,  etc. 

All  use  nearly  the  same  language,  but  each  con- 
siders himself  as  under  special  obligations.  "  licv- 
crend  Father,"  says  another,  who  believes  liimsclf 
behindhand,  "  it  is  very  shameful  for  me  to  bo  the 
last  to  write  to  you,  you  who  showed  me  so  much 
kindness  last  year,  although  sometimes  you  did 
look  cross  at  me,  and  dry  bread  alone,  or  with 
in'unes,  made  me  remember  that  there  must  be  no 
talking  during  recitation.  But  all  that,  I  know 
very  well,  was  to  make  me  work  and  gain  as  much 
as  possible  for  the  next  year.  It  was  only  with 
deep  astonishment  mixed  with  regret  that  I 
learned  of  your  departure  ;  for,  after  all  our  ac- 
quaintance with  one  another,  I  would  much  rather 

liavo  you   than  Father  X ,  whom  I  did  not 

know,"  ot-c.  ... 


Father  Clcrc  and  Jiis  Pupils. 


;83 


J  still 
ito  to 

[)lC3   I 

t  deal 
er. 

2S,  "I 

)U  and 
it  you 
ho  arc 
ny  life 
^  sorry 
1-by  to 
depot, 
foom,  I 

cli  con- 
"  llcv- 
lunsclf 
1)0  the 
niuch 
you  did 
or  "Nvitli 
be  no 
I  know 
las  mucli 
ly  Willi 
lliat    I 
our  ac- 
li  rather 
did  not 


Meanwhile,  let  us  remark,  the  pupils  soon 
grew  accustomed  to  the  new  professor,  and  they 
congratulated  themselves  ou  the  solidity  and  clear- 
ness of  his  manner  of  teaching,  and  none  of  them 
thonght  of  paying  court  to  Father  Clerc  by  telling 
him  that  ho  was  not  well  replaced. 

llerc  is  another  correspondent,  who  mingles  a 
little  malice  with  his  expressions  of  regret : 

**I  have  no  need  to  tell  you  all  the  sorrow  I  ex- 
perienced when  I  learned  that  you  had  left  us.  Ifc 
is  unfortunate  for  us,  the  sailors ;  but  I  think,  how- 
ever, that  you  ought  not  to  be  sorry,  not  for  having 
!cft  us,  but  for  having  left  the  business  of  jirofessor, 
which,  according  to  report  (I  cannot  speak  from  ex- 
perience), is  not  the  most  interesting,  especially 
when  one  has  many  mediocre  pupils." 

The  comi^limcnt  is  not  of  the  most  flattering  to 
Messrs.  the  sailors,  bat  the  observation  in  its  gene- 
rality does  not  lack  justice. 

"Was  Father  Clcrc,  then,  for  ever  lost  to  them  ? 
No  ;  in  accordance  with  the  custom  of  the  house, 
they  might  hope  to  see  him  at  the  time  of  the  semi- 
annual examinations,  when  he  would  come  to  share 
tlie  labors  of  his  former  colleagues.  Besides,  Laval 
was  on  the  road  to  Brest,  on  the  road  to  the  scliool- 
ship,  and,  once  appointed  naval  cadets,,  his  pupils 
on  repairing  to  their  post  had  a  fine  opportunity  of 
stopping  to  call  on  him. 

*' Reverend  Father,"  writes  one  of  those  fortu- 
nate competitors  who  had  just  read  his  name  in 
the  official  list,  ''you  must  know  the  result  of  the 
examinations  ;  so  my  letter  is  to  reply  to  your  kind 


( I 


3'^  4 


Alexis  Clcrc, 


invitation.  Wc  are  to  start  September  28,  by  the 
morning  train  that  readies  Laval  at  2.13.  It  will 
be  a  great  pleasure  for  me  to  see  you,  but  I  would 
not  like  you  to  incommode  yourself  on  my  account 
if  you  aro  occupied."  The  same  boy  will  soon 
write  from  the  school-sliip  and  give  news  of  his 
companions,  adding  the  names  and  qualities  of  the 
ehip's  officers,  the  most  of  whom  arc  old  comrades 
of  Father  Clcrc. 

One  of  those  who  felt  most  keenly  the  unexpect- 
ed departure  that  caused  so  much  regret  was  a 
new-comer,  until  then  a  pu[)il  of  Vaugirard,  who 
consequently  knew  the  father  only  by  reputation, 
but  who  had  begun  to  rejoice  several  months  be- 
fore at  the  prospect  of  preparing  for  the  Naval 
School  under  his  guidance.  Courageously  employ- 
ing a  part  of  liis  vacation  in  bringing  himself  up 
to  tiie  level  of  the  course  he  was  to  follow,  he  sub- 
mits to  his  future  professor  his  daily  regulation,  in 
which  work  was  wisely  combined  with  the  rest  and 
amusements  of  the  season  ;  and  after  having  given 
this  unequivocal  proof  of  his  good  will,  he  con- 
cludes by  saying  :  *'This  letter.  Reverend  Father, 
is  doubtless  very  dull,  very  cold,  and  very  insignili- 
cant  in  itself ;  it  is  not  the  style  of  a  student  of 
humanities  ;  but,  at  least,  be  persuaded  of  the  re- 
spect and  devotedness  (t^nice-  he  has  not  yet  been 
able  to  learn  to  know  ycu,  that  is,  to  love  you)  of 
your  grateful  and  loving  son."  This  app<>ars  like 
a  slight  contradiction  in  terras  ;  but  we  see  that  the 
boy's  heart  got  the  start  of  him,  so  sure  he  was  of 
the  sort  of  man  he  was  writing  to,  and  so  certainly 


Father  Clcrc  and  his  Pupils. 


J^3 


jy  tlic 
It  will 
■would 
ccount 
11  soon 
of  his 
s  of  ilic 
)mi*adcs 

[icxpect- 
t   was  a 
ard,  who 
lutation, 
3 nibs  be- 
lie Naval 
^  cmploy- 
imself  up 
\r,  be  sub- 
ilation,  in 
3  rest  aud 
ing  given 
1,  be  con- 
A  Fatb'ir, 
r  insignifi- 
tudeut  of 
of  tbe  re- 
t  yet  been 
vo  you)  of 
pears  lii^'G 
ee  tbat  ibc 
be  was  of 
o  certainly 


did  bo  rccognizo  in  iKlvance  the  father  in  the  fu- 
ture professor. 

Being  arrived  at  the  Sebool  Stiinte-Gencvieve  too 
late  to  become  liis  pupil,  be  does  not  deem  liimself 
released  from  obligations  towards  Father  Clerc, 
and  be  writes  to  him  again:  *' Itcvcrend  Futhcr, 
probably  you  have  not  expected  to  receive  a  note 
fi'om  mo.  Still,  I  have  believed  it  my  duty  to 
thank  you  for  tlie  favors  you  liavc  done  me,  and 
bearing  all  my  fellow-pupils  extol  your  kindness  to 
tbcni  makes  me  want  to  tell  you  bow  I  have  pro- 
fited by  tbat  you  have  shown  mc.*'  Here  follows 
an  account  of  his  vacation  work,  in  which  be  faith- 
fully observed  Father  Clerc's  instructions.  But 
the  poor  child  cannot  say  enough  about  the  kindness 
of  the  father,  and,  dwelling  on  what  his  new  com- 
panions have    told    him,    ho    adds   ingenuously: 

''  11 lias  sjioken  to  mo  about  you  in  a  way  that 

has  given  me  a  great  deal  of  pleasure,  for  I  have 
understood  that  both  limes  I  saw  you  I  was  not  de- 
ceived, and  that  you  are  truly  a  very  good  father.'* 
lie  who  wrote  these  lines  died  at  twenty-three  years 
of  ago,  an  ensign  of  the  navy.  Fallen  in  the  very 
first  of  the  career  which  smiled  upon  his  youthful 
ambition,  but  doubtless  preserved  by  that  prema- 
ture end  from  the  corruption  of  tbe  world,  the  lit- 
tle we  know  of  him  attaches  us  to  his  memory,  and 
niukcs  us  love  him  as  he  himself  loved  tbe  excellent 
master  ho  had  bad  but  a  glimpse  of. 

This  is  enough  to  shew  us  tbat  the  affection  with 
which  Father  Clorc  inspired  bis  pupils  was  inti- 
mate, deep,  serious,  and — need  we  say  it? — Chris- 


386 


cllcxis  Clcrc. 


tian  before  all  els?.  When  days  of  trial  come  those 
young  men  will  know  where  to  seek  consolation, 
and  they  vrill  find  it  quite  natural  to  conflde  to  him 
not  only  the  little  disappointments  of  their  school 
life,  but  also  the  cruel  misfortunes  that  overthrow 
their  plans  for  the  future,  and  the  still  more  ir- 
reparable lo:scs  that  plunge   their  families  into 


mourning. 


Hero  is  a  letter  which  we  copy  with  real  plea- 
sure, being  unable  to  doubt  that  he  wlio  wrote  it 
was  the  worthy  pupil  of  such  a  master  : 

*'  School  Sainte-Genevieve, 
Tuesday,  October  25,  18G1. 

*' Reverend  and  very  Dear  Father:  I  beg 
your  pardon  for  troubling  you,  but  a  very  power- 
ful motive  prompts  me  to  write.  All  our  family, 
and  especially  my  beloved  father,  has  just  met 
with  a  cruel  affliction.  My  grandfather,  my  fa- 
ther's father,  lias  died  suddenly,  without  having 
had  time  to  make  any  preparation  for  that  terrible 
change.  This  dear  grandfather  died  last  Monday, 
October  17,  we  do  not  know  at  what  hour,  for  the 
servant,  on  entering  his  room  in  the  morning, 
found  him  inanimate  and  stretched  on  the  floor. 
The  day  before  he  had  been  as  gay,  in  as  good 
spirits,  as  usual ;  l.e  had  received  a  visit  of  two 
hours,  had  played  a  game  of  billiards,  and  had  sat 
up  till  ten  o'clock  in  the  evening  laughing  and 
playing  cards.  Alas  !  he  did  not  think  of  the 
great  misfortune  that  was  going  to  befali  us.  It 
is  to  be  believed  that  ho  had  not  a  moment  of 
agony,  and  that  he  was  not  conscious  when  he  died  ; 


Father  Clcr:  and  J  lis  Pupils. 


Z^7 


those 
atioii, 
,0  liim 
scliool 
L-throw 
Lorc  ir- 
is iuto 

J  plca- 
/rote  it 

lEYE, 
3G1. 

r:  I  beg 
y  powcr- 
r  family, 
just  met 


my 


fcl- 


t  liavmg 
terrible 
MoBcliiy, 
r,  for  the 
movniiig, 
Itlie  floor. 
\\  as  good 
it  of  two 
id  had  silt 


il^  us. 


JO 


mciit  of 


for  after  his  death,  when  lie  had  been  replaced 
on  his  bed,  those  who  had  the  happiness  of  see- 
ing him  have  told  mo  that  he  looked  like  a  hand- 
some old  man  asleep.  His  face  was  calm,  and  his 
features  not  altered  in  the  least;  he  must  have 
risen  to  get  something  in  his  room,  and  then  have 
fallen  on  the  flcor  by  a  sudden  stroke  of  apoj)lcxy. 
Such  a  death  was  very  dreadful  and  cruel  to  him 
as  well  as  to  his  children.  Papa  hiid  seen  him 
only  a  fortnight  before,  and  it  was  a  mouth  since 
my  aunt  had  last  seen  him  ;  as  for  my  uncle,  ho 
was  with  my  grandfather,  but  he  had  no  more  con- 
solation than  the  rest  of  us,  since,  after  having  left 
his  father  well  the  evening  before,  he  next  saw  him 
lifeless  and  without  having  had  a  word  of  conso- 
lation or  farewell  from  his  lip?.  It  is  also  very 
terrible  and  very  cruel  for  me,  for  I  cannot  tell  you 
how  fond  I  was  of  that  beloved  grandfather  ;  how- 
ever, in  the  midst  of  all  this  grief,  we  have  some 
cause  for  consolation,  and  we  hojie  in  the  mercy  of 
God.  Fortunately,  my  grandfather  was  a  very 
practical  Christian  from  the  age  of  seventy-two, 
the  age  when  he  made  his  First  Communion. 
From  that  time  he  went  regularly  to  confession 
and  communion,  and  he  has  always  been  sur- 
rounded by  poor  families  who  owed  their  happiness 
and  comfort  to  him.  All  this  leads  us  to  hope 
thai  God  has  called  him  to  himself  to  reward  him 
for  his  useful  and  honorable  life.  This  death,  al- 
though very  fearful,  is  perhaps  another  mercy  of 
God,  who  wished  to  spare  my  dear  grandfather  the 
sufferings  and  agony  of  dcatli  which  he  feared  £o 


'1|! 


388 


Alexis  Clcrc. 


much.  We  confidently  hope  and  "we  also  pray  very 
earnestly  for  rest  for  his  soul.  I  will  ask  you, 
then,  my  very  dear  father,  to  be  so  kind  as  to  say  a 
Mass  for  him,  and  not  to  forget  him  in  your  daily 
prayers.  We  recommend  him  most  especially  to 
you,  -.vhoso  prayers  arc  so  powerful  with  God. 
Your  well-beloved  child,  R.  P.  L." 

It  is  unnecessary  to  enlarge  upon  the  sentiments 
thiit  dictated  this  letter,  signed  with  one  of  the  most 
lesprcted  names  of  the  upper  Parisian  bourgeoisie. 

Bat  who  is  this  young  invalid,  matured  before  his 
time  by  suffering,  whoso  candidly  exposes  the  state 
of  his  soul,  and  who  dates  his  letters  from  a  little 
town  of  the  Cote  d'Or  ? 

Wo  had  vainly  sought  for  his  name  in  the  cata- 
logue of  the  school  Sainte-Genevieve,  and  we  had 
asked  ourselves  where  ho  had  imbibed  so  fervent  a 
faith,  when  we  had  the  inspiration  to  write  to  the 

parish  priest  of  S ;  in  whose  arms,  according 

to  all  probability,  he  breathed  his  last  sigh. 

Directly  everything  was  explained,  and  some  of 
Father  Clerc's  letters,  preserved  by  a  mourning 
family,  soon  reached  us,  and  showed  us  to  what  an 
efiScacious  and  sure  direction  ho  submitted  that 
soul  predestined  to  the  cross  and  to  the  crown  of 
innocence. 

Louis  (we  suppress  the  name  of  his  honorable 
family),  early  become  a  pupil  of  the  College  of 
Montgre,  directed  by  the  Jesuit  Fathers,  had  con- 
ceived an  affection  for  his  masters  which  never 
altered.  Towards  the  close  of  his  studies,  ex- 
periencing a  strong  attraction  for  the  religious  life, 


Father  Clerc  and  his  Pupils. 


389 


,y  very 
i  yo«, 
10  say  a 
r  daily 
ially  to 
li   God. 

>.  L." 

itiments 

bhe  most 
rgeoislc. 
leforc  Ins 
the  state 
a  a  little 

the  cata- 
d  we  bad 
fervent  a 
to  the 
iccording 


some  of 
tnourni"g 
^0  what  an 
fitted  that 

crown  of 

lionorahle 
College  of 
had  con- 
hich  uevcr 
;tudies,  cx- 
ligious  lif(?» 


lie  resolved  to  enter  tho  novitiate ;  neither  the 
railleries  of  certain  friends  nor  tho  formal  opposi- 
tion of  his  father  could  turn  him  from  this  purpose, 
which  he  earnestly  pursued.  His  father  helievcd  he 
could  overcome  his  constancy  by  launching  him  in 
the  world,  and  exacted  that  ho  should  go  through 

his  law  course.      By  advice  of  tho  cure  of  S , 

Louis  asked  to  be  at  least  permitted  to  study  in 
Paris,  where  he  would  have  more  liberty  to  frequent 
the  Jesuit  Fatncrs'  house,  and  to  confide  the  inte- 
rests of  his  soul  to  them.  It  was  thus  he  met 
Father  Clerc,  and  we  may  judge  of  the  welcome  ho 
received,  from  this  little  note  which  he  treasured 
until  bis  death  : 

"  My  Dear  Child  :  You  are  still  playing  at 
hide-and-seek  ;  since  you  have  not  caught  me,  you 
should  continue  to  seek  for  me.  I  had  already 
last  week  granted  what  you  ask,  so  I  repeat  it;  but 
I  do  not  dispense  you  from  finding  me  when  you 
come  to  the  house  for  that  purpose,  and  when  I 
am  not  gone  out.  Yours  very  affectionately  in  our 
Lord,  Al.  Clerc,  S.J. 

'*  Paris,  June  12,  18G7." 

In  the  month  of  November  Louis  is  at  home, 
and  writes  in  his  turn : 

*' IiEVERE:N"D  Father:  Ever  since  1  left  Paris 
my  thoughts  have  frequently  travelled  in  search  of 
you.  How  many  times  I  have  paid  you  those 
charming  visits  when  you  lavished  upon  me  the 
treasures  of  your  friendship,  your  wisdom,  and 
your  piety  1  I  have  preserved  the  most  precious 
memories  of  those  happy  moments,   and   my  re- 


% 


f 


390 


Alexis  Clerc. 


grets  for  having  lost  them  daily  grow  more  bitter. 
I  would  like  to  tell  you  how  grateful  1  am  for 
your  kindncs3,  for  your  unlimited  devotednes?, 
your  inexhaustible  charity.  But  I  would  be 
ashamed  to  attempt  to  acquit  myself  of  the  debt 
I  owe  you  by  sterile  thanks.  I  would  rather  re- 
main all  my  life  your  debtor,  because  T  can  only 
completely  liberate  myself  in  heaven.  Meanwhile, 
I  shall  pray  God  io  repay  you  a  hundred-fold  for 
that  sweet  peace  you  have  given  me,  those  conso- 
lations you  have  never  refused  to  my  importuni- 
ties, and,  in  short,  all  those  spiritual  advantages  I 
have  gained  from  your  good  advice,  your  excellent 
direction." 

Poor  young  man  !  attacked  by  an  unknown 
malady,  he  does  not  feel  strong  enough  to  under- 
take the  journey  to  Paris  ;  at  the  most  he  hopes  to 
go  to  Dijon  in  a  month  to  resume,  if  possible,  his 
interrupted  studies. 

"  My  Dear  and  very  Dear  Child  "  (Father 
Clerc  replies,  letter  of  December  IG,  18G7):  "  What 
is  the  meaning  of  this  bad  health,  and  are  you  not 
going  to  overcome  it  at  last  like  a  man  ?  Is  it  a 
new  sickness,  ov  a  continuation  of  that  of  last 
year  ?  You  do  not  tell  me  enough  about  it ;  I 
fear  lest  it  may  still  be  your  bowels.  It  is  hard  to 
know  how  to  reach  so  deep  a  disease,  and  it  causes 
trouble  in  the  whole  svstem,  even  when  it  is  not 
Yery  violent.  I  believe  in  the  efficacy  of  mineral 
waters  for  these  maladies  ;  think  of  this  next  sea- 
son ;  and  also  in  that  of  a  good  regime — a  very 
regular  life  and  physical  exercise." 


Father  Clcrc  and  his  Pupils, 


391 


jitter, 
m  for 
dness, 
Id    1)0 
}  debt 
iier  rc- 
11  only 
1  while, 
old  for 
conso- 
lortuni- 
itagcs  I 
Lcellent 

nknown 
,  under- 
hopes  to 
ible,  bis 

(Father 

: "  What 

you  not 

Is  it  a 

of  last 
ut  it ;  I 

hard  to 
it  causes 
it  is  not 

mineral 
lext  sea- 
— a  very 


Here  follow  some  hygienic  counsels  which  be- 
token the  most  tender  interest. 

"  Having  left  this  bad  Paris,"  lie  continues, 
"you  ought  not  to  bo  sick  ;. perhaps  you  have  car- 
ried about  the  germs  of  this  disease  these  last  two 
years.  I  would  like  for  all  that  to  see  you  again. 
Must  I  wait  till  18C9  ?  As  well  say  till  Doomsday. 
If  there  is  question  of  a  sojourn  depending  on  a 
great  project,  you  do  not  say  so ;  and  in  truth 
your  letter  is  too  short,  and  leaves  me  everything  to 
ask. 

"  I  say  everything  ;  that  is  too  strong,  and  is 
grumbling  without  due  cause,  for  your  kind  little 
letter  tells  mo  that  you  lovo  mo.  There  is  nothing 
so  sweet  as  to  know  that  our  love  is  returned.  I 
love  you  too  tenderly,  my  very  dear  child,  not  to 
derive  a  great  joy  from  the  expression  of  your  af- 
fection, 

''  How  pleasant  your  visits  were  to  mc,  and  how 
it  delighted  my  heart  to  receive  the  communica- 
tions of  yours  !  There  was  in  our  intercourse,  for 
me  not  only  the  pleasure  and  sweetness  of  a  lively 
affection  satisfied  ;  there  was  also  the  joy  of  as- 
sisting you  in  your  good  intentions,  and  of  reas- 
suring a  delicate  and  alarmed  conscience.  What 
consolation  your  desire  of  truth,  your  docility,  your 
confidence  gave  me  !  Dear  and  beloved  child  of 
my  heart,  may  God  bless  you  and  preserve  you  in 
fervor  and  fidelity  ! 

"  1  am  wonderfully  well,  and  teach  mathematics 
more  and  more  ;  our  school  of  the  Rue  des  Postcs 
prospers  perfectly.     I  cannot  tell  you  how  excel- 


^ 


\ 


392 


Alexis  Clerc. 


Ill 


lent  our  pupils  are,  especially  those  of  the  first  di- 
vision ;  their  industry,  docility,  piety,  almost  ex- 
ceed my  desires;  I  beiicve  wo  do  not  desire  what 
we  do  not  hope  for,  and  I  believe  my  hopes  are 
surpassed.  After  God's  grace,  it  is  to  tlie  pru- 
dence, piety,  and  firmness  of  our  father  rector  (Fa- 
ther Ducoudray)  that  we  owe  this. 

*'  Farewell,  my  dear  child.  I  shall  have  a  big 
intention  for  you  next  Thursday  and  on  the  Feast 
of  the  Holy  Innocents.  I  now  embrace  you  and 
love  you  tenderly  in  the  Sacred  Heart  01  our  Lord. 

"Al.  Clerc,  S.J." 

In  the  spring  of  the  following  year  the  young 
invalid  believes  himself  born  again  to  new  life  and 
strength.  He  has  just  been  delivered,  he  says,  from 
his  terrible  enemy,  the  taenia,  or  tapeworm,  and  he 
makes  haste  to  communicate  this  good  news  to  the 
worthy  friend  whose  tender  anxiety  he  desires  to  re- 
lieve. This  friend  had  commenced  a  letter  in  which 
he  is  prodigal  of  counsels  to  hasten  the  sick  boy's 
recovery.  It  terminates  with  the  expression  of  the 
liveliest  joy  :  "  Yes,  you  are  going  to  again  become 
active,  gay,  vigorous,  and  I  shall  see  you  in  the 
flower  of  youth.  Certainly,  I  thank  God  with  a 
glad  heart  for  having  preserved  and  cured  my  dear 
child  for  me.  Further,  I  shall  say  Mass  in  thanks- 
giving for  this  blessing ;  and,  in  order  that  you 
may  unite  your  intention  with  mine,  I  fix  Sunday, 
May  24,  the  Feast  of  Our  Lady  of  Help,  as  the  day. 


"  You  want  a  letter  for  the  Ascension.    You  shall 
have  it  also  ;  and  if  you  had  asked  that  it  might 


Father  Clcrc  and  Jiis  Pupils. 


393 


:st  di- 
sb  ex- 
what 
es  are 
)  pru- 
)r  (Fa- 

a  big 
;  Feast 
II  and 
[•  Lord. 
3.J." 

young 
iifc  and 
rs,  from 
and  he 
s  to  the 
cs  to  re- 
w  which 
:k  boy's 
n  of  tbe 
become 
in  the 
with  a 
my  dear 
thanks- 
hat  you 
Sunday, 
the  day. 

Ton  shall 
it  might 


carry  you  all  my  interest  in  your  welfare,  all  my 
good  wishes  for  you,  all  my  blessings  upon  you, 
you  should  have  thiit  too,  for  I  put  them  nil  in  it, 
and  these  words  of  our  Lord  besides :  *  Yado 
pararo  vobis  locum,'  *  for  you  to  occni»y  that 
Thursday  you  will  spend  in  your  room." 

A  whole  month  passes  and  the  poor  boy  has  not 
yet  regained  his  strength  ;  nevertheless  he  writes 
(letter  of  June  23,  18G8)  : 

"  Reverend  Father:  Your  kind  letter  of  last 
month  gave  me  such  pleasure  that  it  is  to  you  I 
address  the  first  lines  I  am  able  to  write.  I  was 
very  greatly  tormented  by  the  enemy  you  know  of, 
and  to  deliver  me  from  him  it  was  necessary  to  as- 
sault him  so  rudely  that  I  am  even  now  scarcely 
convalescent.  My  strength  is  only  beginning  to 
return,  and  does  not  allow  of  my  writing  you  more 
than  a  few  words,  which  are  very  insignificant  on 
account  of  their  brevity.  But  at  least  I  shall  have 
thanked  you,  I  shall  have  recommended  myself 
anew  to  your  prayers,  and  I  shall  have  repeated 
the  expression  of  my  most  sincere  affection  and  my 
filial  devotedness,  etc. 

''Your  child  in  our  Lord,  "  Louis  C." 

"  My  Dear  Louis  "  (Father  Clerc  replies,  letter 
of  July  2,  18G8)  :  "I  am  astonished  and  distressed 
to  learn  of  the  severe  struggle  you  have  gone 
through.  I  had  not  supposed  it  would  bo  so  long 
or  so  terrible,  and  I  imagined  the  difficulty  was 
rather  in  recognizing  the  enemy  than  in  coriquer- 

♦"  I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you." 


I  i 


Iq 


394 


Alexis  Clcrc. 


ing  liim.  ]^[o^o  than  a,  montli  elapsed  between  the 
Ascension  and  tlic  23d  of  June,  and  while  you 
were  a  prey  to  the  greatest  sufferings,  and  your 
life  was  threatened,  I  was  resting  in  the  confidence 
that  your  convalescence,  already  decided,  Vi'as  pro- 
gressing to  a  perfect  recovery. 

"This  time,  at  least,  are  you  thoroughly  rid  of 
the  head  of  the  hydra  ?  Have  his  terrible  fangs  let 
go  their  hold  ?  At  your  age  health  is  rapidly  re- 
gained; and,  surrounded  as  you  are  with  care  and 
affection,  your  happiness  at  returning  to  life,  great 
as  it  is  of  itself,  will  receive  new  charms  from  the 
road  you  pass  along  and  the  hands  that  support 
your  feeble  steps. 

"  Oh  !  I  am  very  sure  you  have  been  patient  and 
resigned,  gentle,  if  I  may  so  speak,  towards  suffer- 
ing. It  is,  perhaps,  more  difficult  during  conva- 
lescence to  preserve  one's  self  from  the  exactions 
of  sensuality.  Can  you  see  a  mother,  a  sister 
hovering  about  you,  anxious,  attentive,  without 
claiming,  without  in'ovoking,  their  devotion  ?  It 
Avould  be  better  to  meekly  await  it,  and  £ometimes 
to  deny  it  to  yourself. 

"It  is  likewise  difficult  to  limit  the  multitudi- 
nous little  cares  bestowed  upon  our  body,  our 
health,  to  what  are  necessary  (these  are  a  duty)  or 
even  useful  (these  arc  also  in  order),  without  seek- 
ing all  the  delicacies  good  only  to  satisfy  our  sen- 
suality. 

"  If  I  tlius  preach  to  you  (oj^portunef  importune, 
as  St.  Paul  says)  it  is  because  I  know  well  to  whom 
I  am  writing,  and  that  my  condolences  no  more 


Father  Clcrc  and  his  Pupils, 


395 


en  the 
lo  you 
1  your 
Pidcnco 
[IS  pro- 
rid  of 
ugs  let 
dly  rc- 
ire  and 
e,  great 
•om  the 
support 

ient  and 
s  suffer- 
conva- 
xactions 
a  sister 
without 

on?  It 
me  times 

ultitudi- 
)dy,   our 

duty)  or 
lout  seck- 

our  sen- 

nportune, 
to  whom 
no  more 


than  my  hopes  addressed  to  the  lieart  of  my 
friend,  will  not  be  enough  for  the  heart  of  my 
dear  son  in  our  Lord. 

"  Do  not  fail,  as  soon  as  you  can  go  to  church, 
to  receive  Holy  Communion.  As  for  me,  I  will 
cflcr  Holy  Mass  for  you  in  thanksgiving,  and  also 
for  the  intention  of  your  full  and  prompt  re- 
covery, and  this  on  Thursday,  July  8. 

*'I  shall,  then,  see  you  again,  as  it  were,  reno- 
vated, risen  from  the  dead  with  a  new  life,  stron- 
ger, more  robust  than  before,  and  also  with  a  soul 
made  perfect  by  suffering. 

**0  my  very  dear  son  !  all  is  good  for  those  who 
love  God.  DiUncntihus  Dcum  omnia  co-02)crantur 
in  honnm.  I  iirmly  believe  it  I  God,  who  is  good 
even  towards  the  wicked,  has  a  special  affectionate 
and  paternal  providence  for  those  who  love  him. 

*'  When  we  await  all  thing3,  when  wc  receive  all 
things  as  coming  from  his  hand,  can  there  be  any- 
thing fatal  in  our  destiny  ?  No,  neither  sickness 
nor  death.  lie  destines  you  for  heaven,  and  he 
leads  you  there  by  the  road  you  necd.^' 

What  strength,  and  at  the  same  time  what  gen- 
tleness !  The  young  man  was  worthy  of  these 
counsels,  which  reached  him  most  seasonably,  as 
we  shall  see,  on  Jbho  eve  of  the  supremo  trials  that 
were  in  reserve  for  him. 

A  letter,  Louis'  last,  written  at  two  different 
times  (September  10  and  11),  reminds  us  of  the 
plaintive  accents  of  King  Ezechias :  **  In  the 
midst  of  my  days  I  shall  go  to  the  gates  of  the 
tomb.   . 


» 


39<5 


d  lex  is  Cierc. 


^M< 


**  My  kind  father,  it  is  nges  since  I  ha?e  written 
to  you,  and  during  all  this  time  God  knows  how 
often  I  have  thought  of  you.  Until  just  now  I 
have  been  incapable  of  holding  a  pen.  My  health 
has  passed  through  many  trying  phases,  and  I 
scarcely  know  how  it  is  tliat  I  am  still  in  this 
world.  I  shall,  however,  endeavor  to  tell  you  by 
taking  breath  several  times,  if  necessary. 

"I  have  not  forgotten  that  you  offered  to  con- 
tinue to  be  my  spiritual  guide.  I  do  not  know  if 
you  understood  that  I  accepted  ;  but  without  any 
doubt  your  last  letter  contained  counsels  so  pre- 
cious, so  exceedingly  appropriate  to  my  needs,  that 
God  alone  could  have  inspired  you  with  them. 

*'  I  am  going  to  ask  you  for  still  more,  my  kind 
father.  If  you  but  knew  what  good  your  kind 
words  do  mc  ! 

'*  I  have  a  great  remorse.  It  will  presently  be 
my  ninth  month  of  illness ;  what  a  grace  this  is 
that  God  has  been  pleased  to  grant  me!  But  I 
liave  profited  by  it  so  little  that  I  have  religiously 
preserved  all  my  faults,  and  I  am  no  more  ready 
to  die  than  on  the  first  day.  My  God,  forgive  me  ! 
Father,  help  mc  !  I  must  be  ready  to  die.  Death 
is  at  my  door ;  I  must  save  my  soul  at  any 
cost.  ..." 

Here  the  poor  invalid  stops,  being  too  weak  to 
write  more  ;  but  the  next  day  he  adds  : 

"  I  am  no  more  than  a  skeleton.  Persons  who 
have  not  seen  me  for  some  time  do  not  recognize 
mc.  .  .  "  Then  he  enumerates  his  miseries — mise- 
ries of  the  disease  increased  by  the  remedies — and 


Father  Clcrc  and  his  Pupils. 


397 


itten 
how 

LOW  I 

ealtli 
nd  I 
I  tliis 
ou  by 

>  con- 
low  if 
it  any 
io  prc- 
s,  that 
n. 

y  kind 
X  kind 

tlv  be 
this  is 
But  I 
giously 

ready 
VG  mc  I 

Dcatli 
at  any 

weak  to 

)ns  wlio 
icognizo 
! — mise- 
es — and 


lie  begs  in  tlic  most  touching  manner  for  tlio  lielp 
ho  needs  to  bear  tlic  burden  that  weighs  upon  liim, 
and  to  turn  to  God  alone  with  a  confident  and  sub- 
missive heart. 

Was  this  letter  answered  ?  Some  words  pen- 
cilled on  the  back  and  margins  indicate  the  nature 
of  the  reply  Father  Clcrc  intended  to  make  ;  but 
this  reply  has  not  been  found,  and  who  knows  if 
death,  more  prompt,  did  not  anticipate  it  ? 

But  we  have  the  certainty  that  death  was  gentle 
to  that  privileged  soul,  so  gentle  'itself  and  so 
hnmble.     A  witness  of  its  passage  to  a  better  life, 

the  cure  of  S ,  writes  ns  :    *'That   beautiful 

soul  was  ripe  for  heaven."  Alluding  to  Louis' 
vocation  and  his  desire  of  the  religious  life,  he 
adds: 

*'  God  was  not  willing  to  lend  you  our  dear 
Louis,  as  he  lent  you  his  model,  Louis  do  Gon- 
zaga.'* 

It  is  true  the  virtuous  young  man  had  not  been 
able  to  cross  the  threshold  of  the  novitiate,  and  he 
had  not  before  dying  received  from  us  the  sweet 
name  of  brother;  but  God,  in  withdrawing  him 
from  the  world  that  was  not  worthy  of  him,  placed 
him  in  heaven  in  the  virginal  choir  of  the  Louis 
de  Gonzagas,  the  Stanislaus  Kostkas,  and  tho 
Berchmans,  and  it  was  there  Father  Clcrc  found 
his  dear  child  again,  to  lose  him  no  more,  when  he, 
in  liis  turn,  went  to  take  possession  of  the  glory 
he  had  won  at  the  price  of  his  blood. 

Let  us  now  return  to  his  dear  little  sailors  who 
had  so  large   a  share  in  his  solicitude,  excited. 


';'M':|! 


I  ! 


m 


398 


Alexis  Clerc. 


dou'otlGss,  by  tliG  remembrance  of  the  dangers  he 
himself  ran  in  the  career  he  saw  them  entering 
"while  still  so  young,  sometimes  so  innocent,  and 
always  so  inexperienced.* 

We  have  rcmarl^ed  one  among  them  who  was 
evidently  the  object  of  a  quite  special  interest  on 
the  part  of  his  professor,  and  whose  correspon- 
dence, begun  at  the  school  Saintc-Genevieve,  con- 
tinued on  board  the  school-ship,  and  far  longer 
than,  that,  and  through  all  the  vicissitudes  of  his 
sailor's  life  was  uniformly  filial  and  confiding. 
Not  to  be  indiscreet,  we  asked  his  permission  to 
make  use  of  his  letters ;  he  desired  to  see  them  first, 
and,  in  returning  the  package  to  us,  he  heartily 
thanks  us  for  the  pleasure  we  afforded  him.  *'  In 
looking  over  these  pages,"  he  writes,  "I  went  back 
to  the  happiest  period  of  my  youth.  During  the 
short  space  of  an  hour  I  lived  again  those  two 
years  of  my  stay  at  the  Eue  des  Postes — years  so 
fleeting,  so  full,  and  so  fruitful.  I  found  again 
my  companions  of  other  days,  my  professors,  all 
friends.  ..." 

And  here,  his  recollections  crowding  upon  him, 
he  let  his  pen  run  on.  Why  should  not  the  reader 
share  the  pleasure  we  experienced  in  perusing  his 
letter  so  overflowing  with  sincere  emotion  ?  Fa- 
ther Clerc  will  be  seen  therein  as  he  appeared  to 
his  pupils,  in  the  spontaneity  and  unconstraint  of 


♦In  the  second  period  of  his  professorship  (1867-9)  Father 
Clerc  also  sent  pupils  to  the  "Ecole  Centrale."  But  these  young 
men,  not  being  gone  from  Paris,  visited  him  frequently  and 
did  not  write  to  him  ;  consequently  they  have  left  few  traces 
in  the  bundle  of  his  correspondence. 


Father  Clerc  and  his  Pupils, 


399 


rs  ho 
ering 
;,  and 

0  was 
est  on 
cspon-    , 
3,  con- 
longer 
!  of  his 
.fiding. 
sion  to 
m  first, 
learlily 
.     *'  In 
lit  back 
■ing  the 
)se   two 
^ears  so 
d  again 
^ors,  all 

on  him, 
e  reader 
Ismg  his 
II?  Fa- 
eared  to 
raint  of 


-9)  Father 

lese  young 

aently  and 

few  traces 


his  amiable  and  charming  character.  lie  in  \/hosc 
favor  we  will  now  be  silent  for  a  little  space  left 
Saint-Barbara  and  arrived  at  the  school  Saintc- 
Gcnevieve  while  still  a  child;  ho  has  since  been 
an  ensign  in  the  navy;  to-day,  returned  to  civil 
life,  he  has  his  own  hearth-stone,  whero  we  wish 
him  sons  that  will  resemble  him.  The  man  has 
])reserved  the  good  sentiments  of  his  young  years, 
and  this  is  the  most  beautiful  homage  he  could 
render  to  the  memory  of  his  dear  and  veneratf^d 
master. 

**  Behold  me,'"  he  writes  ns,  "knocking  for  the 
first  time  art  the  door  of  the  school,  and  timidly 
soliciting  a  place  among  the  children  of  the  house. 

*'  It  was  vacation,  .  .  .  the  hive  was  silent.  In 
the  distance  in  the  long  corridors  black  robes  pass 
and  disappear,  .  .  .  then  other  black  robes  which 
seem  to  me  gigantic  shadows. 

"Must  it  ba  said  (bah  !  at  fourteen  years)  ? — I 
was  almost  afraid.  Suddenly  I  find  myself  in  pre- 
sence of  the  superior,  Rev.  Father  Turquand. 
That  beautiful  countenance  framed  in  white  hair 
inspired  respect;  peace  and  serenity  were  reflected 
from  it,  and  the  sight  alone  did  good.  What  did 
he  say  to  me  ?  What  did  I  reply  ?  I  never  quite 
knew,  troubled  as  I  was  ;  all  I  understood  was 
that  I  must  pass  an  examination. 

"Oh  !  even  now  all  my  terror  comes  back  to  me. 
The  father-superior  had  mc  taken  into  a  study- 
hall;  the  door  was  closed;  I  had  before  mc  an  im- 
mense blackboard,  beside  me  one  of  those  black 
robes  I  had  seen  in  the  corridors.     I  dropped  my 


ii! 


400 


Alexis  CI  ere. 


eyes,  not  daring  to  look  either  at  the  robe  or  (he 
board,  when  I  heard  a  yery  pleasant,  frank  voice 
say  :  *  Well,  my  child,  jou  want  to  be  one  of  our 
pupils  ? ' 

"  I  was  little  accustomed  to  that  kindly  tone  \\\ 
the  colleges  where  I  had  been.  Those  words,  *  my 
child,'  £0  new  to  me,  made  a  singular  impression 
npon  me ;  I  would  have  liked  to  find  words  to 
thank  him  who  pronounced  them,  but  none  came 
to  my  lips.  He,  however,  continued,  gently  ques- 
tioning mo  about  what  I  had  done  up  to  then, 
what  were  my  tastes,  my  pleasures,  etc.  He  did 
not  ask  me  if  I  was  strong  in  mathematics  ;  they 
required  of  me,  he  said,  only  good  conduct  and  good 
will ;  they  would  answer  for  the  rest.  .  .  . 

"  in  proportion  as  he  spoke  I  felt  more  reas- 
sured. I  raised  my  eyes  ;  I  had  never  seen  a  more 
open,  a  more  loyal  countenance.  The  forehead 
was  high,  the  glance  full  of  intelligence.  I  felt  my- 
self in  the  presence  of  a  superipr  man  ;  but  what 
was  most  striking  in  that  physiognomy  was  bene- 
volence, kindness ;  it  shone  in  every  feature.  I 
ftlt  myself  attracted  by  an  extraordinary  symj^athy. 
I  am  ignorant  of  what  impression  I  then  made 
myself,  but  the  conversation  insensibly  took  a  turn 
more  full  of  kindness  on  the  one  side,  and  of  confi- 
dence and  unreserve  on  the  other.  I  say  conversa- 
tion— read  confession  ;  at  the  end  of  half  an  hour 
I  had  oi)ened  all  my  heart. 

"And  when  this  was  finished,  the  father,  taking 
me  by  the  hand,  led  me  back  to  the  father  supe- 
rior ;  he  said  a  few  words  to  him  in  a  low  tone, 


Father  Clerc  and  his  Papils. 


401 


or  tlie 
L  voice 

of  0\U' 

tone  \\\ 
s,  '  my 
)ression 
ords  to 
10  came 
ly  qucs- 
3   then, 
He  did 
!S  ;  they 
.nd  good 

)rc  reas- 
1  a  more 
forehead 
feltmy- 
ut  what 
^as  benc- 
urc.      I 
mpathy. 
in   made 
)k  a  turn 

of  confi- 
Donversa- 

an  liour 

}r,  taking 
her  supc- 
low  tone, 


and,  smiling  at  me,  went  out.  Father  Tnrquand 
then  informed  me  that  Father  Clerc  consented  to 
admit  me  to  his  ctass,  and  that  from  that  day  I 
was  a  member  of  the  school. 

"I  was  enchanted.  But  what  delighted  me 
most  was  to  think  that  I  was  to  bo  in  the  class  of 
Father  Clerc  ! — of  that  father  I  had  just  left ;  .  .  . 
that  I  could  see  him  and  hear  him  every  day. 

**  Such  as  he  appeared  to  me  in  that  first  in- 
terview, such  I  always  found  him  afterwards — 
straightforward,  simple,  and  indulgent.  AVc — 'the 
children,'  as  he  called  us — we  worshipped  him. 
What  a  joy  it  was  when  out  of  class-time  he  camo 
among  us,  and  how  we  surrounded  him  !  Did  he 
descend  to  the  court  during  a  recreation,  imme- 
diately WG  ran  to  him,  we  tried  to  speak  to  him, 
we  forced  him  to  reply  to  us.  Sometimes  he  was 
obliged  to  be  angry  in  order  to  make  us  keep  on 
playing  ;  then  he  would  threaten  to  leave  the 
court.  Most  frequently  he  pretended  to  take  an 
immense  interest  in  a  famous  game  of  ball  or  of 
gymnastics.  Oh  !  then  there  was  excitement,  in- 
credible animation  ;  it  was  a  contest  to  see  who 
could  strike  the  most  splendid  blows,  who  would 
risk  the  most  perilous  feats, 

"  Later,  when  he  left  the  class,  worn  out  with 
fatigue  and  labor  (as  well  as  macerations  of  all 
sorts,  for  that  man,  so  kind  to  others,  was  pitiless 
to  himself),  when,  on  returning  after  the  vacation, 
we  learned  that  Father  Clerc  had  gone,  there  was 
a  general  consternation.  I  know  who  shed  most 
sincere  tears." 


IL 


r  ■'■i  w 


402 


Alexis  Clerc. 


Soon  tliG  heart  overflows,  and  our  dear  corre- 
spondent recalls,  now  his  comrades  fallen  on  the 
battle-field,  now  his  masters  immolated  by  the 
Commune.  "Father  Clerc,  Father  Ducoudray," 
he  cries,  "  dear  and  holy  victims,  is  it  thus  you 
must  crown  a  life  of  abnegation  and  devotedness  ? 

**  0  my  Father  Clerc  !  you  used  often  to  say  to 
mo  :  '  When  I  am  no  longer  able  to  educate  young 
persons  and  make  them  Frcnclimcn  and  men  of 
worth,  the  dearest  wish  of  mv  heart  is  to  bo  sent 
as  a  missionary  to  China,  to  die  for  my  God  and 
his  holy  religion.'  Ah  !  who  could  have  foreseen 
that  this  wish  would  be  so  soon  accomplished  ?" 

I  have  allowed  the  man  to  speak,  and  surely  no 
one  will  take  it  amiss  ;  but  now  let  us  go  back 
twelve  or  fourteen  years  and  see  how  the  child 
expressed  himself  after  that  cruel  departure  of  Fa- 
ther Clerc. 

After  some  excuses  and  explanations  about  his 
having  been  prevented  from  writing  by  an  accident 
of  some  sort,  he  says:  *' I  earnestly  hope  that  if 
you  come  to  Paris  this  year,  or  if  I  return  to 
Angers  next  year,  we  shall  see  one  another.  It 
would  be  such  a  pleasure  to  me  to  tell  you  in  words 
how  grateful  I  am  for  all  the  kindnesses  you 
lavished  upon  me  during  the  year  just  passed  ! 
And  I  must  tell  you  that  I  am  not  the  only  one 
who  has  regretted  you,  and  that  each  boy  looked 
very  sorrowful  when  he  learned  that  you  had  left 
all  your  children." 

Then  follow  details  about  the  changes  in  the 
house,  the  new  professor  wlio  does  not  trifle,  the 


Father  Clcrc  and  his  Pupils. 


403 


I  j 


:  corre- 
011  tlio 
by  the 
udray," 
lus  you 
idncss  ? 
)  say  to 
,e  young 
men  of 
bo  sent 
3rod  and 
foreseen 

icd?" 
surely  no 
go  back 
the  child 
re  of  Fa- 

ibout  his 
L  accident 
ic  that  if 
return  to 
)ther.    It 

in  words 
tsscs  you 
passed  ! 

only  one 
oy  loolied 
had  left 

tres  in  the 
iripy  the 


studies  to  which  each  one  applies  himself  with  all 
his  heart.  Had  not  Father  Clerc  promised  that 
they  would  succeed  ? 

In  the  following  letter  the  young  correspondent, 
who  is  a  choir-boy,  cannot  say  enough  about  the 
ceremonies  of  All  Saints'  day  ;  which  proves  (by 
way  of  parenthesis)  that  such  little  duties  offer  an 
innocent  and  agreeable  diversion  to  sludics  which 
are  extremely  dry  and  suggest  nothing  to  the 
heart.  Then  he  adds  :  "Finally,  my  dear  father, 
you  ask  me  for  particulars.  What  shall  I  tell  you  ? 
That  I  have  grown  a  great  deal,  and  that  this 
makes  me  begin  to  think  of  the  day  when  I  shall 
have  to  leave  this  house  ?  I  foresee  that  I  shall  be 
very  sad,  for  this  is  the  first  time  I  have  felt  that  I 
loved  the  people  with  whom  I  lived,  and  that  I 
have  felt  myself  loved  in  return.  For  after  all 
what  is  a  college  ?  An  assemblage  of  individuals 
who  come  there  to  pursue  their  studies,  and  who 
believe  themselves  obliged  to  quarrel  with  every- 
body. Here,  on  the  contrary,  besides  the  pupils 
being  on  good  terms  Vv^ith  one  another,  the  fathers 
on  their  side  do  all  they  can  to  make  themselves 
beloved  by  their  pupils.  How  would  it  be  possible 
for  concord  not  to  reign  in  the  house  ?  But  it  is 
you,  my  dc^r  father,  whom  I  ought  to  thank  and 
love  more  than  all  the  rest ;  for,  pariah  as  I  was, 
it  was  you  who  first  drew  me  to  you ;  therefore 
rest  assured  I  shall  always  be  grateful  to  you,  and 
afar  as  well  as  near,  I  shall  always  in  my  prayers 
include  your  name  among  those  that  are  dearest  to 
me.     But  will  you  not  come  back  to  Paris  ?  "  etc. 


•fi 


404 


Alexis  Clerc. 


m 


Here  are  some  lines  from  the  next  letter: 
"  When  shall  I  be  able  to  date  my  letters  from 
the  Borda  9  When  eonelude  them  with  these 
pompous  words :  Done  i?i  iJie  harbor  of  Brest,  on 
hoard  the  school-ship  ?  We  must  wait  patiently  ; 
is  it  not  so,  dear  father  ?  and  especially  work — I 
do  both,' 

•  ••••  •  ••• 

"You  recommend,  ns,  dear  father,  to  live  on 
good  terms  and  in  harmony  with  one  another ;  I 
assure  you  this  recommendation  is  superfluous  this 
year.  How  pleased  you  would  be  to  see  your  chil- 
dren forming  but  one  family  at  gymnastics  and  the 
other  games  ! " 


1 


III, 


"Perhaps,  dear  father,  you  were  astonished  at 

my  saying  I  read  P 's  letter.  ...  But  I  must  tell 

you  that  your  letters  are  grabbed  by  everybody, 
and  almost  read  to  pieces.  As  soon  as  one  of  us 
has  received  a  letter  from  you,  it  goes  the  rounds 
af  the  whole  division  ;  we  form  a  circle  to  hear  it ; 
then,  from  the  pupils,  your  orders  of  the  day  go 
sometimes  to  the  fathers.  So,  derr  father,  do  not 
he  saving  of  your  kind  letters,  which  are  «,lways 
full  of  good  advice,  and  still  more  of  affection." 

The  child  is  about  to  enter  into  retreat ;  he  begs 
a  Mass  for  his  intention,  and  this  in  tlio  most 
earnest  words.  After  Christmas,  another  descrip- 
tion of  a  beautiful  religious  solemnity  with  this 
final  reflection  :  "I  assure  you,  dear  father,  that 
it  is  a  very  touching  sight  to  see  all  the  pupils,  the 
entire  college,   approaching  the  Holy  Table  on 


Father  CUrc  and  his  Pupils, 


405 


:'S  from 
y  tlicse 
\'cst,  on 
Liently  ; 
;vork — I 


live  on 
)ther ;  I 
lous  this 
)ur  chil- 
1  and  tlie 


isbcd  at 
piust  tell 
erybody, 
ne  of  us 

rounds 
hear  it ; 
e  day  go 
L',  do  not 
re  always 
3tion." 

he  begs 
tlio  most 

dcscrip- 
with  this 
:her,  that 
)upils,  the 
Table  on 


great  feasts."  Aud  so  on  during  tlie  whole  year, 
thanks  to  this  amiable  correspondent,  the  old  pro- 
fessor knows  all  that  happens  to  his  dear  pupils, 
their  progress  more  or  le^^s  rapid,  the  place  of  each  in 
the  quarterly  classing,  the  d'scourngement  of  this 
one,  the  sickness  of  another,  etc.,  etc.  Thcii 
comes  the  long-wished-for  day  when  a  first  letter 
bears  at  the  top  :  Borda,  Ilarhor  of  Brest,  and  be- 
gins in  the  following  manner:  ''My  dear  father, 
you  have  heard  that  I  was  accepted,  and  now  I 
have  to  thank  you  for  your  part  in  my  success. 
Indeed,  if  you  had  ceased  to  encourage  me,  if  you 
had  not  constantly  shown  me  a  truly  paternal 
kindness,  I  would  have  been  disheartened  the  first 
year,  and  I  should  not  be  able  to-day  to  date  my 
letter  from  the  Bovda.  Accept,  then,  the  assur- 
ance of  my  deep  gratitude,  and  add  to  all  your 
favors  the  pardon  of  my  negligence."  A  little 
further  on  in  the  same  letter  we  read  :  "  On  arriv- 
ing here  I  went  to  see  the  Jesuit  Fathers.     I  made 

the  acquaintance  of  Father  L ;  he  is  the  one  my 

correspondent  named  to  me,  for  I  knew  nobody 
here.   .   .   .  Notwithstanding  my  joy,  I  did  not  bid 

Father  C (his  professor  at  the  Scliool  Sainte- 

Genevieve)  good-by  without  some  sadness  at  leav- 
ing that  house  where  I  had  spent  two  years,  most 
certainly  the  best  of  my  life."  On  board  the 
school-ship  the  correspondence  continues,  filled 
with  details  about  the  old  pupils  of  Father  Clerc, 
who  watches  over  them  from  a  distance  as  he  did 
when  with  tlicm.  For  instance,  he  learns — for- 
tunate conjuncture — that  the  former  commander 


I  !i 


II 


4o6 


Alexis  Clcrc. 


m 


of  the  Cassini  is  now  in  the  harbor  of  Brest  on 
board  the  Turcnne,  which  is  subject  to  his  orders ; 
behold  a  true  friend  for  those  dear  children,  and 
that  friend  makes  no  delay  in  takhig  Father  CIcrc's 
place  toward  them.  "Allow  me  to  thank  you," 
one  of  them  writes  to  him_.  **for  an  acquaintance 
you  have  enabled  mo  to  make,  and  which  is  very 
valuable  to  me.  I  refer  to  Mi.  do  Plas.  He  is  a 
very  charming  and  a  yery  distinguished  man,  a 
true  officer  of  the  navy.     Seyeral  times  he  has  sent 

his  boat  for  D ,  P ,  T ,  and  me,  and  we 

have  dined  on  board  the  Turcnne  and  spent  a  de- 
lightful evening." 

Another  quotation  (and  it  will  bo  the  last),  from 
a  letter  written  on  board  the  Magenta.  In  a  trip 
to  Paris  the  naval  cadet  had  spent  a  few  moments 
in  the  house  of  the  Rue  dcs  Postes;  he  had  found 
Father  Clerc  there,  and  the  visit  had  awakened  old 
feelings  which  he  could  not  restrain  :  ''  In  walking 
with  you  through  that  house  where  I  spent  two 
such  quiet  and.  happy  years,  I  imagined  myself 
tliree  years  younger.  I  beheld  myself  again  com- 
pletely absorbed  by  those  grave  occupations  which 
then  were  the  only  ones  that  had  the  privilege  of 
keeping  me  awake  at  night,  ball-playing  and  espe- 
cially gymnastic?!.  How  many  times  when  you  were 
trying  to  get  an  important  demonstration  through 
my  head,  my  rebellious  spirit  was  dreaming  of  a 
new  perilous  leap  ! 


"How  many  times  since  I  left  it,  have  I  had 
cause  to  regret  that  hospitable  house  in  an  inner 


Father  Clcrc  and  his  Pupils, 


407 


I  • 


ircst  on 
orders ; 
•en,  and 
c  Clcrc's 
k  you," 
lintancc 
is  very 
He  ia  a 
man,  a 
has  sent 
^,  and  we 
ent  a  de- 
ist), from 
In  a  trip 
moments 
lad  found 
kcncd  old 
a  walking 
pent  two 
myself 
ain  com- 
Dns  wliicli 
iyilege  of 
and  cspc- 
1  you  were 
througli 
Ining  of  a 


id 


ave  I  liad 
an  inner 


room  of  which  the  sombre  robe  of  the  priest  gave 
so  kind  a  welcome  to  the  somewhat  stained  uni- 
form of  the  little  Barbiste  !  .  .  .  The  gamin  be- 
came a  youth.  lias  the  youth  turned  out  a  man  P 
I  know  not  (perhaps  you  can  tell  him,  Kevercnd 
Father,  you  who  know  him  so  well) ;  but  what  I 
do  know  is  that  of  the  gamin  there  remain  only 
the  memory  and  tho  attachment  to  those  who  so 
cordially  extended  him  their  hand." 

We  will  add  nothing  ;  such  testimonies,  ren- 
dered so  bountifully  in  the  freedom  and  unreserve 
of  th^  most  intimate  intercourse,  may  be  left  with- 
out a  commentary.  Where  can  sincerity  be  found 
if  not  in  such  letters  ?  One  is  tempted  to  apply 
to  them  these  words  of  Holy  Scripture  :  Ex 
oreiufanthtm  .  .  .  pcrfecistilcmdem.  Yes,  verilj'', 
the  mouths  of  children  or  of  very  young  persons, 
the  lips  that  are  yet  strangers  to  disguise  and  flat- 
tery, could  alone  have  given  to  these  praises,  which 
I  have  only  gathered  up,  that  perfect  truthfulness 
as  well  as  that  charm  which  pervades  them. 

But  we  must  not  terminate  this  chapter,  conse- 
crated to  Father  Ckrc  and  his  pupils,  without 
mentioning  those  among  them  who,  after  having 
loved  him  so  much,  proved  by  dying  for  the  honor 
and  defence  of  their  country  that  they  were  capa- 
ble of  understanding  that  heroic  soul  and  of  enter- 
taining sentiments  as  exalted  as  were  his. 

The  first  is  Roland  du  Luart,  who,  struck  by 
three  balls,  fell  (December  18,  18G4)  at  Etla,  near 
Oajaca,  during  the  campaign  in  Mexico  where  he 
had  displayed  the  most  brilliant  valor.     On  learn- 


11 


4o8 


Alexis  Clcrc, 


I 


m 


ing  of  tlic  arrival  of  liis  son's  body  at  Saint  Na- 
zairc,  Count  Luarfc  immediately  besouglit  the 
presence  of  Fatiier  Clerc,  wliom  he  invited  to  pro- 
nounce a  few  words  at  the  funeral  ceremony. 
"  There  are  only  too  many  lessons  enclosed  in  that 
coffin,"  replied  Father  Clerc,  and  he  hastened  to 
gratify  the  pious  >vishes  of  his  dear  Roland's  father 
and  mother. 

Three  others  -^vatered  with  their  blood  the  soil  of 
France  invaded  by  the  stranger. 

At  Gravelotto  (August  16,  1870)  Louis  Coutu- 
rier, an  officer  under  General  Bataille,  had  his 
arm  pierced  by  a  ball,  but  did  not  discontinue  his 
service  under  the  fire  of  the  enemy  until  a  shell 
burst  beneath  his  horse,  which  was  killed  at  the 
same  time  that  he  himself  fell,  fatally  wounded  in 
the  abdomen.  Carried  from  the  field  on  an  ambu- 
lance, he  died  two  days  later,  after  having  piously 
received  the  last  sacraments  and  while  pressing  the 
crucifi,:  to  his  heart. 

At  Freteval  (December  14,  1870)  Maurice  de 
Boyason,  who  had  five  brothers  in  active  service 
during  that  lamentable  war :  one  of  them  fell  when 
he  did.  An  ensign  of  the  navy,  Maurice  had  just 
returned  from  the  disastrous  and  useless  Baltic  ex- 
pedition when  ho  met  his  old  professor  at  Cher- 
bourg. "I  regret,"  ho  wrote  to  his  parents,  **not 
being  able  to  follow  the  retreat  he  is  giving,  but  I 
go  to  see  him  fcequcntlj,  and  I  think  wo  are  very 
well  satisfied  with  one  another."  He  marched  at 
the  head  of  a  company  of  marine  fusiliers  in  that 
heroic  affair  of  Freteval,  where  Commander  Collet 


Father  Clcrc  and  his  Pupils. 


.109 


lint  Ka- 
rht  tl\o 
[  to  pro- 
rcmony. 
I  in  that 
tencd  to 
l's  fatber 

ho  soil  of 

is  Coutu- 
,  had  lii3 
itinue  bis 
til  a  slicll 
cd  at  tbe 
ounded  in 
an  anibu- 
|ng  piously 
ressing  tbe 

laiu'ico  de 
live  service 

fellwbcn 
le  had  just 

Baltic  ex- 

►r  at  Cher- 

l-ents,  **not 

[iving,  hut  I 

we  are  very 

..larched  at 

[iers  in  that 

mdci  Collet 


fell  witli  bis  skull  sliattcrcd,  and  Maurice  at  his 
side,  a  ball  buried  in  bis  lungs. 

Finally,  at  tbe  bloody  battle  of  Mans  (January 
11,  1871)  Maurice  du  Bourg,  a  hero  of  Castelfi- 
dardo  and  Montana,  who  bad  been  one  of  the  first 
to  respond  to  tbe  call  of  Pius  IX.,  and  bad  re- 
mained until  tbe  20th  of  September,  faithful  to  tlic 
noble  pontifical  banner.  He  was  leading  to  the 
fray  bis  dear  zouaves,  now  tbe  Volunteers  of  tbe 
West,  when  he  was  struck  in  tbe  forehead  by  a  ball 
at  tbe  moment  be  was  trying  to  carry  the  plain  of 
Avours,  occupied  by  tbe  Prussians.  By  his  Cbris- 
tian  virtues  as  well  as  by  his  cbivalric  valor  he  was 
truly  of  tbe  race  of  the  Catheliucaus,  tbe  Lescures, 
and  tbe  Bouchamps. 

Such  were  Fatber  Clerc's  pupils.  I  speak,  be  it 
well  understood,  only  of  tbe  dead. 

As  for  those  who,  thanks  be  to  God,  are  stiil  f  .11 
of  life  and  ambition,  I  dedicate  to  them  these 
pages,  of  which  they  have  furnished  me  the  mat- 
ter, and  wherein  several  of  tbem  will  recognize 
themselves.  May  they  all  find  therein  the  charm 
that  attacbes  to  the  memory  of  tbe  happiest  and 
purest  days  :  to  revive,  if  need  be,  their  better  feel- 
ings ;  to  excite  them  to  good  by  the  example  of 
those  dear  departed  ones ;  and  especially,  never 
to  become  for  any  of  them  a  reproach. 


if 


i 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


FATHER  CLERC  AND  UIS  OLD  COMRADES. 


Ji' 


Great  was  tlio  astouishmciit  of  Fatlicr  Clerc's 
comracles,  who,  liaving  known  him  only  in  his  life 
of  dissipation  and  pleasure,  after  long  years  £ud- 
denly  found  him  a  priest  and  a  Jesuit.  Quantum 
miitatus  ah  ilJo !  This  was  the  first  impression, 
and  some  of  them  never  got  over  it.  Yet  the 
greater  number,  even  more  pleased  than  surprised, 
gradually  became  accustomed  to  his  new  vesture 
and  his  new  mode  of  life.  Enchanted  to  prove  by 
the  evidence  of  their  own  eyes  that  he  had  lost 
none  of  his  spirit,  his  gayety,  his  old  amiability, 
they  soon  said  :  '*  He  is  not  changed,  he  is  still  the 
same,"  and  the  old  intimacv  revived  of  itself  from 
the  very  first  interview.  What  Clcrc  had  become 
by  leaving  the  world  did  not  lessen  their  confi- 
dence, rather  the  contrary  ;  and  if  by  chance  Ihcy 
put  his  good-will  to  the  test,  then  especially  they 
congratulated  themselves  on  having  in  him  a  sure, 
devoted,  and  most  useful  friend.  Accordingly, 
with  very  few  exceptions,  all  were  glad  to  visit 
him.  The  known  earnestness  of  his  religious  con- 
victions did  not  render  him  inaccessible  to  these 

who  had  not  the  happiness  of  sharing  them.    I 

410 


Father  Clcrc  and  his  Old  Comrades.     41 1 


r  Clerc's 
iiiliisliic 

rears  £Vi<l- 
Quantinn 
npvcssioii, 
Yet  the 
surprisccl, 
3W  \csturc 
,0  prove  l)y 
e  had  lost 
amiabllUy, 
is  still  the 
itself  from 
ad  become 
.heir  confi- 
•hance  llicy 
[ccially  they 
iiim  a  sure, 
ccorelinsl^'' 
[lad  to  y\^ 
aigious  cou- 
ple to  these 
U  tlieni.    1 


nnglit  uamo  sucli  a  savant,  liis  close  friciul  from 
the  lime  they  first  met,  companions  in  promotion 
at  the  Polytechnic  ;  certainly  a  very  distinguished 
man,  but  one  who  has  the  reputation,  merited,  I 
believe,  of  being  extremely  indulgent  to  the  leaders 
of  free  thought.  I  am  very  sure  that  Clerc,  who 
was  frankness  itself,  did  not  spare  him  censure  on 
that  score;  nevertheless,  their  friendship  never 
cooled,  and  lasted  until  the  bloody  days  of  tho 
Commune.  Having  himself  offered  such  a  long 
resistance  to  grace  before  yielding  to  its  empire, 
he  despaired  of  nobody,  and,  whatever  was  tho 
eagerness  of  his  desire,  he  knew  how  to  wait.  More 
than  once  the  conquest  of  souls  dear  to  him  was 
the  reward  of  his  charitable  and  engaging  lon- 
ganimity. 

The  reader,  perhaps,  remembers  Mr.  C ,  one 

of  the  two  comrades  with  whom,  on  his  return 
from  Gabon,  Clcrc  shared  for  several  months  the 
enjoyment  of  a  little  dwelling  and  garden  situated 
in  one  of  the  suburbs  of  Lorient.*  A  Christian  of 
so  fresh  a  date  applying  himself  to  the  reading  of 
Saint  Thomas  was  a  matter  of  astonishment  to 
the  two  friends,  who  at  first  thought  him  deranged, 
tried  which  could  best  tease  him  about  his  religions 
ideas,  engaged  him  in  discussions  half-serious  and 
half-playful,  and,  finding  they  could  make  no  im- 
pression upon  him,  ended  by  nicknaming  him  Lifile 
Monh.  Meanwhile  Mr.  C was  not  quite  as  in- 
sensible as  ho  thought  himself  to  that  example, 

*  We  mentioned  Mr.  C in  chapter  iii. 


4 


m 


m 


m 


m 


^^^MM 


412 


Alexis  Clcrc. 


wliicli  lie  met  with  all  tlio  appearances  of  a  jeering 
scepticism,  and  he  owned  later  that  he  was  in- 
fluenced in  spite  of  himself.  That  was  in  1847. 
Towards  the  close  of  1850  the  Cassini,  destined 
for  China,  being  in  the  harbor  of  Lorient,  Olcrc 
goes  there  to  superintend  the  preparations  for  her 
departure  ;  he  meets  his  old  friend  again,  and  this 
time  he  Ijrwgs  Mm  very  near  Christian  irutli. 
Four  more  years  pass  ;  Clerc  returns  from  China, 
finds  Mr.  C married,  and  cannot  refuse  the  hos- 
pitality offered  him  by  the  young  household.  Their 
relations  are  more  intimate  and  cordial  than  ever; 
Clerc  announces  that  he  shall  leave  Lorient  only  to 
enter  the  novitiate  of  the  Society  of  Jesus.  "Why, 
that  is  suicide  ! "  cries  Mr.  C ,  and  he  en- 
deavors to  prove  to  his  friend  that  life  is  not  so  bad 
after  all,  and  that  it  is  a  shame  for  him  to  renounce 
the  many  joys  it  still  promises  him.  As  a  final 
argument  he  adduces  his  own  example,  and  shows 
the  two  pretty  children  that  have  been  born  to 
him  during  his  friend's  last  voyage.  He  is  an- 
swered at  first  rather  feebly,  and  with  a  certain  em- 
barrassment, as  if  there  was  little  hope  of  making 
him  understand.  But  soon,  in  a  walk  the  two 
friends  take  together,  the  ice  is  broken.  Clerc 
gives  free  course  to  his  thoughts,  his  most  private 
sentiments,  and  he  expresses  himself  with  a  capti- 
vating eloquence.      Mr.  C has  never  forgotten 

that  memorable  conversation  "of  Saint  Christo- 
pher's bridge,"  which  revealed  to  him  all  the  lofti- 
ness of  that  beautiful  soul.  What  was  it,  then, 
ithat  Clerc    said  to  his  friend?     "That    man's 


L  jeering 
was  in- 
in  1847. 
destined 
it,  Clcrc 
3  for  lior 
,  and  tV.is 
171  irutli' 
m.  Cliina, 
;c  the  lios- 
Id.    Their 
.lian  ever ; 
>nt  only  to 
s.    "Wiiy, 
nd  lie   GU- 
,not  so  bad 
,0  renoi^nce 
As  a  final 
and  shows 
en  born  to 
He  is  un- 
certain cm- 
of  making 
k  the  two 
en.      Clevc 
ost  private 
ith  a  capti- 
T  forgotten 
.ut  Christo- 
ai  the  lofti- 
as  it,  ilien, 
Ihat   man's 


r 


Father  Clerc  and  Jiis  Old  Comrades,     413 

destiny  on  earth  is  to  aspire  to  the  highest  good, 
and  that  for  his  part  he  means  to  do  this  to  the 
utmost  of  his  power;  that  undoubtedly  the  joys 
Mr.  C has  been  telling  him  of  have  their  se- 
duction, but  that  they  do  not  tempt  him  ;  that  he 
desires  good  for  its  own  sake,  and  that  it  exists  only 
in  Grod.  There  is  his  hope,  his  ambition  ;  all  else  is 
nothing  to  him  ;  accordingly,  he  yields  himself 
without  reserve  to  the  love  of  the  sovereign  good, 
cf  God,  of  infinite  perfection." 

In  relating  this  conversation  to  us  Mr.  C 

S.IVS :  "  I  am  trying  to  give  you  the  key-note  of  it ; 
it  was  aspiration  towards  the  pure  love  of  God.  I 
had  read  such  things  in  the  *  Lives  of  the  Saints,' 
hut  hitherto  I  had  believed  them  only  partially ; 
this  time  I  saw  them  with  my  own  eyes,  and  doubt 
was  henceforth  impossible  to  me.  I  had  the  good 
sense  to  admire  that  enthusiasm  and  that  virtue.  I 
understood  that  Clerc  could  do  no  better  than 
walk  in  the  path  ho  had  chosen,  and  from  that 
moment  I  was  convinced  that  he  would  become  a 
saint." 

Before  starting  for  the  novitiate  Clerc,  leaving 

liis  uniform  and  baggage  in  Mr.  C 's  house, 

gave  his  sword  to  little  Paul,  the  eldest  of  his  dear 
friend's  sons.* 

In  the  month  cf  December  Mr.  C wrote  to 

Salnt-Acheul :  "  I  will  acknowledge  to  you,  my 
■dear  Clerc,  that  your  ^horfc  stay  in  my  house  and 
the  determination  you  took  have  given  me  a  great 

*  This  weapon  has  since  passed  into  the  possession  of  a  cap- 
t.:in  of  a  frigate,  who  preserves  it  as  a  relic. 


1 

'A 

si 


r' 


■  '  l.'l 


1  ■ 
^  i. 


■  I 


m 


I 


414 


Alexis  Clcrc. 


deal  to  reflect;  upon  and  have  slightly  disturbed  the 
quiet  I  enjoyed."  The  thought  of  eternity  was 
laying  hold  of  that  soul  accustomed  to  think  only  of 
the  interests  and  joys  of  this  world.  Eight  days 
later  another  letter  begins  thus  :  "I  have  just  been 
most  cruelly  tried  !  My  Paul,  my  fine  and  cherish- 
ed boy,  has  been  taken  from  us  in  the  midst  of  his 
beauty  and  strength.''  And  in  four  months  Paul's 
brother  was  no  more  !  "  Oh  ! "  cries  the  poor 
father,  "  the  happy  days  I  spent  in  my  little  house 
with  my  beautiful  children,  my  dear  wife,  and  you, 
my  kind  friend !  Now  my  two  little  ones  are  sleep- 
ing side  by  side  in  the  cemetery." 

What  a  lesson  !  Was  it  understood  ?  !N"o,  not 
quite,  in  the  beginning.  The  correspondence  con- 
tinues through  fifteen  years — that  is,  from  Alexis' 
entrance  into  the  novitiate  until  the  eve  of  the  sad 
events  that  placed  the  seal  on  his  heroism.  He 
does  not  spare  counsels,  exhortations,  even  re- 
proaches ;  but  how  they  all  come  from  his  heart ! 
Who  could  be  offended  at  those  earnest  and  press- 
ing appeals,  proofs  of  a  boundless  friendship  ?  He 
accuses  himself  of  having  been  harsh  and  caustic 
in  a  conversation  they  had  in  Paris,  and  the  re- 
sult of  which  was  decisive.     Mr.  C does  not 

complain  ;  he  renders  full  justice  to  his  friend  and 
thanks  him  for  his  frankness.  Father  Clcrc  re- 
turns to  the  subject  again  with  much  humility  for 
his  own  faults,  but  he  is  rejoiced  :  the  soul  of  his 
friend  is  saved.  "  My  dear  friend,"  ho  writes,  "  it 
is  a  sure  mark  of  friendship  on  your  part  to  have 
written  me  of  the  great  change  which  God  has  ope- 


Father  Clcrc  and  his  Old  Comrades.      4 1 5 


)ecl  the 
ity  was 
only  of 
[it  clays 
ist  l)eeii 
sbcrish- 
jt  of  Ms 
IS  Paul's 
be  poor 
■le  lionso 
and  you, 
ire  sleep- 

Ko,  not 
ence  con- 
II  Alexis' 
)f  the  sad 
ism.    He 
even   rc- 
Liis  heart ! 
pd  press- 
1-)?    He 
caustic 

the  re- 
does not 
•iend  and 
Clcrc  rc- 
imility  for 
;oul  of  bi3 
tes,  "it 
to  have 
has  ope- 


rated in  your  soul ;  you  judged  rightly  of  the  joy 
it  woukl  afford  me.  I  join  with  you  in  thanking 
God,  and  on  the  12tli  of  November  I  will  say,  for 
your  intention  and  in  gratitude  for  what  God  has 
clone  for  you, 'a  Mass  of  thanksgiving. 

"  Since  our  last  interview  I  have  not  thought  of 
our  long  and  painful  conversation  without  sorrow, 
and  I  much  feared  that  God  in  his  goodness,  seeing 
that  you  wandered  away  from  him  in  prosperity, 
would  bring  you  back  by  adversity.  Fortunately  he 
has  not  needed  to  do  that;  and  it  is  better,  not 
only  on  account  of  the  trouble  you  escape,  but  be. 
cause  of  the  greater  generosity  of  a  spontaneous 
conversion, 

**  When  I  sidd  on  leaving  you — and  it  was  to  con- 
clude our  conversation  with  as  little  unpleasant- 
ness as  possible — that  ho  who  followed  in  good  faith 
no  matter  what  read  would  be  saved  provided  ho 
always  conformed  his  conduct  to  what  he  believed 
to  be  the  truth,  I  acknowledge  I  had  not  the  hope  of 
seeing  your  good  faith  yield  to  the  first  ray  of  truth 
without  a  longer  combat ;  but  you  prove  this  pro- 
position still  more  strongly.  You  prove  it  in  the 
sense  in  which  it  should  bo  most  frequently  (if  not 
always)  understood  :  namely,  that  God  soon  shows 
the  truth  to  those  who  seek  it. 

"Our  discussion  was  difficult,  painful  on  both 
sides,  harsh  on  mine  ;  God  knows,  however,  that 
even  then  I  had  for  you  the  heart  of  a  friend  ;  I  do 
not  regret  it,  because  friendship  ought  not  to  be  a 
weak  condescension,  and  because  the  result  has 
been  so  happy. 


U 


a.,: 


1',  ;i 


4i6 


Alexis  Clerc. 


m 


"Now  that  you  share  my  faith,  you  understand 
how  the  certainty  with  which  I  spoke  of  what  re- 
gards it  could  not  help  rendering  my  assertions 
decisive,  absolute ;  I  tiiink  that  in  talking  with 
you  I  defended  what  is  merely  matter  of  opinion 
only  with  much  restriction  and  with  a  disposition 
to  yield  readily.  But  it  is  useless  to  apologize  for 
a  line  of  proceeding  which  you  judge  favorably.  I 
believe  that  before  dismissing  this  subject  I  ought 
to  tell  you  in  few  words  the  judgment  I  then  form- 
ed of  you.  You  are  no  longer  the  same  man,  and 
I  speak  only  with  a  good  intention. 

"  All  just  ideas  in  metaphysics,  in  religion,  in 
morality,  in  politics,  I  will  say  even  in  history,  had 
suffered  shipwreck  in  your  soul.  There  was  but 
one  left.  Fortunately  it  was  an  important  one  ;  with 
it  all  others  could  be  reconquered  :  it  was  the  idea 
of  the  last  end.  Upon  that  one  thing,  in  a  natural 
point  of  view,  you  always  spoke  correctly.  It  will 
be  an  interesting  study  for  you  to  discover  if  it  had 
the  influence  I  believe  it  had  upon  the  great  change 
which  has  taken  place  in  your  soul. 

"  Your  letter  of  November  ist  does  you  the 
highest  honor  :  Qui  se  Ji  urn  ilia f,  exaltahitur.  And 
in  truth  you  wrote  it  in  the  spirit  which  animated 
St.  Augustine  when  he  composed  his  *  Confessions ' ; 
that  anxiety  to  repair  the  evil  one  has  done,  to  re- 
treat, to  acknowledge  our  proud  weaknesses,  is  a 
proof  of  generosity.  If  men  are  forced  to  forget 
wrongs  that  are  so  sincerely  acknowledged,  so 
heartily  regretted,  Almighty  God  knows  how  to 
turn  them  into  merits.     Once  again,  errois  coukl 


^ 


Fat  he  7'  Clcrc  and  his  Old  Comrades.     417 


erstand 
?bat  re- 
sertions 
ig  witli 
opinion 
position 
9gize  for 
L-ably.    I 
i  I  ought 
ten  form- 
nan,  and 

ligion,  in 
itory,  bad 
Q  was  but 
bne  ;  with 
s  the  idea 
a  natural 
It  will 
r  if  it  bad 
?at  chauge 


^ 


you  the 
\ur.     And 

animated 
[fcssions ' ; 
lone,  to  re- 
lesses,  is  a 

to  forget 
ledgcd,  so 
Iws  bow  to 
jrois  could 


not  bo  more  nobly  confessed  ;  your  confession  is  so 
bearty,  so  prompt,  so  complete,  that  you  may  see 
in  it  one  of  those  special  graces  which  God  grants 
but  seldom." 

Now  will  we  see  with  what  good-natured  play- 
fulness and  what  ingenious  grace  Fatber  Oleic 
urges  his  friend,  who  defends  himself  as  well  as  he 
can,  to  tend  to  perfection  always  and  everywhere  ? 
Perfection  I  he  wants  it  not  only  in  things  relating 
to  God's  service,  but  even  in  such  as  pass  for  in- 
different, and  which  common  opinion  banishes  to  a 
sphere  where  Christianity  has  uo  ri<?ht  of  inspec- 
tion. Mr.  C had  said,  we  shall  know  present- 
ly in  what  sense  :  "  I  am  always  a  hussar,  but  I  no 
longer  love  the  sabretacbe."  *  His  friend  returns 
the  words  with  comments : 

**  *  I  am  always  a  hussar,  but  I  no  longer  love  tbe 
sabretache.' 

"  My  dear  Fhiend  and  Brother  in  our  Lord  : 
Behold  my  text,  and  I  might  cboose  a  better  one  ; 
however,  we  will  develop  it  with  a  certain  freedom. 

"The  inclination  we  have  for  novelty  is  a  par- 
ticular grace  of  God,  and  since  beginnings  are 
always  difficult,  it  was  worthy  of  Ilim  who  gently 
conducts  all  things  to  their  end  to  implant  that 
sentiment  in  our  hearts.  Afterwards,  when  things 
have  lost  that  attraction  of  novelty,  God  has  again 
most  kindly  arranged  that  habit  should  also  have  a 

*It  is  unnecessary  to  explain,  unless  perhaps  to  a  few  un- 
initiated readers,  that  the  sabretache  is  a  sorfc  of  flat  pocket 

that  hangs  beside  the  sabre  of  certain  cavalry  men.    Mr.  C 

defended  his  own  case  by  attacking  that  part  of  a  hussar'3 
equipment  the  utility  of  which  is  rather  questionable. 


.'  I 


1  :i 


•J   \ 


'M; 


4i8 


Alexis  Clerc. 


iif -' 


sweetness  which  will  make  us  accomplish  them 
•willingly.  Who  can  help  admiring  so  wise  and 
fatherly  a  providence  ? 

**  Let  US  leave  the  yonng  hussar  to  love  his 
sabretache,  and  the  old  cuirassier  to  no  longer 
feel  the  chafing  of  the  armor  to  which  he  is  con- 
demned. 

"  But  you  understand  that  there  is  something 
better  than  the  vain-glory  of  the  first  and  the  in- 
sensibility of  the  second. 

"  You  may  tell  mc  as  mucli  as  you  like  that  you 
"were  not  made  for  perfection  ;  I  know  what  to 
think  about  it,  and  I  shall  always  tell  you  what  I 
think. 

"  In  the  way  of  a  sermon  I  am  going  to  give  you 
a  sample  of  my  philosophical  studies  of  last  year.* 
You  are  not  made  for  perfection.  Dislinguo  :  To 
attain  it,  concedo.  To  desire  it,  to  tend  to  it,  nego. 
And  you  do  desire  it  most  certainly. 

"Let  us  return  to  the  sabretache:  Are  there, 
then,  no  motives  possible  for  our  acts  other  than 
puerility  and  insensibility  ?  Our  "will  is  our  own 
and  we  can  render  it  very  perfect.  What  would 
you  think  of  the  hussar  who  should  love  the  sin- 
gular object  in  question  because  it  is  a  sign  that  he 
serves  his  country  and  his  king,  that  he  belongs  to 
a  select  corps  which  in  battle  is  exposed  to  the 
greatest  dangers  ?  From  a  human  point  of  view  is 
he  not  at  least  a  sage,  if  not  a  hero  ? 

"  But  if  he  regards  his  sabretache  as  the  seal  of 


♦  Father  Clerc  had  just  been  reviewing  his  philosophy  at 
Vaugirard. 


Father  Clerc  and  his  Old  Comrades.     419 


them 
so  and 

ave  liis 
longer 
is  con- 

ne  tiling 
the  in- 

ihat  you 
what  to 
.  what  I 

give  you 
st  year.* 
pio:  To 
)  it,  nego. 

re  there, 
her  than 
our  own 
at  would 
the  sin- 
n  that  ho 
)elongs  to 
ed  to  tho 
of  view  is 


le 


seal  of 


i\ 


losophy  at 


the  servitude  God  imposes  upon  him  through  the 
medium  of  his  superiors,  and  loves  it  as  such,  is  110 
not  a  saint  ? 

"There  was  a  young  man  in  the  Society  named 
John  Borchmans,  the  cause  of  whose  beatification 
is  now  in  process  ;  *  he  loved  his  dear  cassock  so 
much  that  he  always  hissed  it  before  putting  it  on. 
We  take  the  pious  practice  from  him.  Is  not  this, 
for  us,  loving  the  sahretache  in  tlie  right  way  ? 

"However,  one  cannot  always  nor  every  day 
love  the  sahretaclie,  jct  a  real  hussar  docs  not  for 
that  carry  it  the  less  and  is  not  the  less  a  good 
hussar. 

"  You  have  no  longer  a  natural  attraction,  taste, 
for  your  profession;  you  feel  all  its  difficulties  and 
charges  ;  no  illusion  continues  to  conceal  them 
from  you.  Thi^  is  because  you  are  capable  of  per- 
severing in  it  through  higher  motives — namely,  for 
the  sake  of  serving  your  country,  especially  of 
serving  God  disinterestedly  just  there  where  he 
has  put  you ;  for  tho  sake  of  accomplishing  tho 
rude  mortification  and  the  patient  sanctification  of 
labor  by  which  man  attains  his  last  end. 

"  This  is  so  true  that  if  it  should  be  proposed  to 
you  to  go  back  to  the  illusions  that  procured  you 
certain  consolations,  you  would  refuse,  and  would 
prefer  your  present  sufferings.  The  true,  the 
noble,  the  great — this  is  what  the  heart  of  man  re- 
quires. Let  us  rejoice ;  we  shall  one  day  possess 
the  truth,  the  majesty,  the  immensity  of  God. 

*  It  has  since  been  decided. 


b 


■.    ! 


t 


v  . 


M, 


420 


A/cxis  Clcrc. 


"  My  sermon  is  fmislicd  and  I  see  you  smiling ; 
he  will  have  to  lower  his  jorctensions,  think  you  ? 
Do  not  be  afraul,  I  am  not  so  strong  in  act  as  in 
word;  still  I  am  in  earnest  when  I  speaJf,  but  I 
will  admit,  if  you  wish,  that  I  animate  myself,  that 
I  intoxicate  myself,  with  my  own  words.  What 
else  would  you  have  us  do  ?  Let  us  derive  the 
least  possible  Jiarm  from  our  miseries  ;  let  us  get 
drunk  with  love,  enthusiasm,  for  what  is  perfect; 
we  will  always  fall  far  enough  back  in  practice. 
Let  us  permit  our  aspirations  to  rise,  to  incessant- 
ly rise  even  to  the  throne  of  God  ;  his  goodness 
will,  perhaps,  answer  our  imperfect  prayers." 

In  sending  us  these  letters,  pious  and  cherished 
relics  of  which  wo  are  only  the  depositary,  Mr. 
C adds  a  few  words  about  the  winning  quali- 
ties of  his  holy  friend,  qualities  that  were  height- 
ened by  the  generosity  and  grandeur  of  his  Chris- 
tian sentiments  :  *'  That  beauty  of  soul  and  that 
grandeur  of  virtue  did  not  in  the  least  lessen  tbe 
amiability,  the  playfulness  of  his  character,  and  I 
have  always  considered  him  since  his  last  stay  at 
Lorient  as  an  elect  soul  whom  1  admired  while  being 
just  as  much  at  ease  with  him  as  before.  Ho 
evinced  for  me  and  mine  an  extraordinary  friend- 
ship, greater  than  I  could  have  merited,  although 
I  loved  him  dearly.  I  have  sometimes  read  that 
the  saints  have  on  earth  had  similar  friendships ; 
it  is  thus  that  I  regard  ours,  and  1  firmly  believe 
he  continues  it  towards  us  in  heaven.  He  was  very 
fond  of  the  two  little  children  I  lost  in  1854,  and 
I  would  like  to  send  you  the  letter  he  wrote  their 


Father  Clcrc  and  his  Old  Comrades,     42 1 


litig ; 
you? 
as  in 
bub  I 
:,  that 
What 
76  the 
us  get 
jrfect ; 
■actice. 
essant- 
)0clnes8 

erished 

rv,  Mr. 

f  quali- 

I  height- 
Ohris- 

nd  that 
sen  tbe 
,  and  I 
stay  at 

Lie  being 
e.      Ho 
friend- 
Ithough 
3ad  that 
id ships ; 
^  belicYC 
was  very 
54,  and 
te  their 


mother  to  console  her,  but  we  haye  mislaid  it  for 
the  moment.  I  think  ho  is  with  thcni,  and  that 
all  three  protect  our  family.  I  always  believed 
that  Clerc  would  have  a  magnificent  death.  I  was 
not  deceived,  and  I  can  picture  to  myself  his  joy 
at  giving  his  life  for  Jesus  Christ." 

Who  would  recognize  from  such  language  the 
man  that  had  bo  much  difficulty  in  treating  serious- 
ly the  admirable  change  which  religion  had 
worked  in  his  friend  ?    May  we  not  also  say  of 

Mr.  C ^Quantum  midatus  ah  illol    And  is  he 

not,  in  his  turn,  become  a  very  consoling  example 
of  the  so  patient  goodness  of  God  and  of  the  omni- 
potence of  grace  ? 

Another  example,  not  of  conversion,  but  of  the 
salutary  and  gentle  influence  Father  Clcrc  exercised 
over  those  who,  haying  known  him  in  the  world, 
deemed  themselves  happy  to  find  him  again  just 
what  his  new  vocation  had  made  him. 

One  day  at  Laval  he  received  the  visit  of  two 
comrades,  both  old  navy  officers.  "These  gentle- 
men," a  person  acquainted  v/ith  the  incident  tells 
us,  "left  the  house  charmed  with  his  amiable  sim- 
plicity, his  gayety,  and  his  gracious  holiness." 
One  of  the  two  visitors,  M.  de  Vauguion,  could 
almost  call  himself  Father  Clcrc's  neighbor,  the 
Chateau  des  Alleux  (near  Cosse,  Maycnne),  where 
he  resided,  being  only  a  few  hours  from  Laval. 
As  he  urged  the  father  to  return  his  visit,  the  lat- 
ter, in  order  to  harmonize  the  inclinations  of  his 
zeal  with  the  duties  of  friendship,  went  to  Lcs 
Alleux  and  divided  his  time  between  the  chdteau 


I  I 


,1  ■ 


I  M  ■ 


!  i' 


i  I 


422 


Alexis  Clerc, 


and  tho  parish  where  he  gave  a  mission.  Ilardly 
had  he  returned  to  Laval  when  he  was  called  back 
to  his  friend,  who  was  seized  with  a  dangerous  at- 
tack of  inflammation  of  the  lungs.  Father  Clcrc 
almost  flies  to  Les  Alleux,  and  entering  the  sick 
man's  room,  says  simply :  **  I  have  come  to  hcl^ 
you  sanctify  your  illness."  The  offices  of  liis 
ministry  are  gladly  accepted,  and,  after  having 
reconciled  that  beloved  soul,  he  departs  greatly 
consoled  by  the  encouraging  dispositions  in  whicli 
he  leaves  it  perhaps  on  the  very  threshold  of  etemi- 

ty.    . 

M.  de  Vauguion  recovered.  In  1870,  beholding 
France  invaded,  he  returned  to  tho  service,  dis- 
played a  brilliant  valor  in  the  fuce  of  the  enemy, 
and  showed  himself  at  u.i  times  and  in  all  places  ar- 
dent in  the  accomplishment  of  duty;  but  he  received 
in  the  camps  the  germs  of  the  disease  to  which  ho 
was  to  fall  a  victim.  Named  a  deputy  to  the  Na- 
tional Assembly,  he  was  at  his  post  at  Versailles 
when,  April  11,  1871,  he  was  forced  to  take  to  his 
bed.  During  this  illness,  which  was  his  last,  he 
one  day  anxiously  enquired :  **  And  Father  Clerc — 
provided  he  is  not  in  the  hands  of  those  creatures 
of  the  Commune — how  I  would  like  to  hear  from 
him  !'"'  Enquiries  were  made,  and  it  was  learned 
that  the  father  was  confined  at  Maz^s.  The  friend 
to  whom  he  could  no  longer  bring  the  supreme 
consolations,  terminated  his  exile  with  sentiments 
of  most  fervent  piety  on  tho  20th  of  April.  Clerc 
had  still  a  month  to  spend  behind  the  bars.  Lot 
us  note  a  circumstance  that  has  a  claim  to  a  place 


FatJicr  Clcrc  and  Jus  Old  Comrades,     423 


f 


lardly 
I  Lack 
»us  at- 
Clcrc 
le  sick 

0  licli 
of    l»i3 
haying 
greatly 

1  wbicU 
;  etemi- 

liolditig 
ice,  cli3- 
cneniy, 
)laccs  ar- 
received 
hicU  V.c 
ilic  Na- 
crsaiV.cs 
e  to  Ilia 
last,  he 
Clerc— 
reatures 
ar  from 
Is  learned 
he  friend 
supreme 
ntimcnts 
].    Clerc 
Ts.    Let 
0  a  place 


among  these  piong  souvenirs.  The  Chdtoau  dcs 
Alleux  visited  by  tlic  fatlicr  in  1805  has  since  been 
appropriated  to  a  uso  wortby  of  the  exalted  and 
Cliristian  sentiments  of  its  former  master,  and  to- 
day it  shelters  a  little  colony  formed  of  our  bro- 
tlier3  driven  from  the  jn'ovince  of  Venice,  who  aro 
preparing  by  a  life  of  recollection  and  study  for 
tiie  labors  of  ihe  apostolate. 

For  many  reasons  the  commander  of  the  Cassini, 
become  captain  of  a  ship,  was,  in  Father  Cicrc's 
eyes,  something  more  and  better  than  a  comrade, 
and  the  cordiality  of  their  intercourse  never  made 
the  former  lieutenant  forget  the  distance  which 
honorable  grades  of  service  put  between  him  and 
liis  respected  chief.  During  long  years,  in  writing 
to  him  ho  only  addressed  him  as '*  my  dear  com- 
mander "  ;  but  a  day  came  when  he  called  him  by  the 
sweeter  name  of  ''brother":  Mr.  de  Plas  had  be- 
come his  brother  by  entering  the  novitiate  of  the 
Society  of  Jesus. 

Here,  in  placing  in  my  hands  fifteen  years  of 
correspondence,  I  am  begged  to  observe  the  great- 
est discretion.  I  shall  make  this  a  law,  and  shall 
be  very  careful  not  to  disturb  by  an  untimely  pub- 
licity a  life  which,  after  having  been  well-known 
to  the  world,  desires  to  shroud  itself  in  darkness 
and  silence. 

The  commander  honored  in  his  old  lieutenant 
the  quality  of  religions,  and  the  sacerdotal  character 
with  which  he  saw  him  clothed.  The  confidence  ho 
had  always  had  in  him  was  consequently  increased, 
and  he  did  not  disdain  to  consult  him  when  there  was 


!•  i  1. 


.  ;,!i 


i  • 
j 

1 
i 

■ 

J  i 

■  i  ■' 
1    '^ 

*    <• 

'■■■ 

U 

424 


Alexis  CUrc. 


li 


^,r   ■ 


"'V 


question  of  liis  interior  or  of  certain  duties  inherent 
to  his  position,  and  of  which  he  believed  with  rea- 
son Father  CI  ere  was  a  good  judge. 

'J'ho  Italian  alliance,  for  instance,  led  him  to 
foresee  certain  occasions  when  his  conscience  might 
he  at  varianco  with  the  exigencies  of  military  obe- 
dience. **I  have  nearly  recovered  my  peace  of 
Eoul,"  he  wrote,  *' since  I  have  followed  your  ad- 
vice; still,  there  come  to  me  severe  squalls  of  dis- 
gust at  my  career  when  I  think  that  circumstances 
might  have  called  me  to  figure  at  the  banquets  and 
fetes  of  the  roi  galanttiomo  in  Naples.  I  am  sure, 
though,  that  when  God  sends  mo  trials  of  that 
sort  he  will  make  known  to  me  what  he  wishes  mo 
to  do.  It  appears  that  some  of  our  officers  have 
taken  steps  to  avoid  the  honor  of  being  decorated 
by  th.e  soi-disant  King  of  Italy  ;  I  am  very  glad  of 
it."  The  father  replied  to  him:  "I  think  you 
might  very  well  ask  for  a  command  in  Chinese 
waters,  and  I  advise  you  to  do  so.  I  think  also 
that  they  will  not  misunderstand  you,  and  that 
they  will  not  appoint  you  to  the  Mediterranean 
squadron." 

Although  M.  de  Plas,  living  in  La  Charente,  was 
not  as  near  Laval  as  M.  de  Vauguion,  he  obtained 
a  visit  from  the  father,  who  stayed  with  him  at 
Puychein,  and  thence  evangelized  the  parish  of 
Saint-Iiomain.  On  receiving  the  promise  of  this 
visit  the  commander  wrote : 

"Dear  Fkiend  axd  Heverend  Father  :  It  is 
about  fourteen  years  aince,  to  my  proposition  of 
making  a  cruise  among  the  Catholic  mission?,  you 


nlicrcnt 
itU  rca- 

liiin  to 
3C  uiiglit 
ury  obc- 
peucc  of 
^our  acl- 
Is  of  tlis- 
tiistances 
[uets  tind 
am  sure, 
of   that 
fislics  mo 
3ers  liavo 
ilecoratcu. 
y  glad  of 
'link  you 
Chinese 
link  also 
and  that 
erranean 

rente,  was 
obtained 

:li  liim  at 
parish  of 

ise  of  tliis 

lEE  :  It  is 
(osition  of 
sion?,  you 


Father  Clcrc  and  his  Old  Comrades.     425 

replied:  *  Magnificat  auimn  mca  Dominum^ ; 
your  kind  letter  has  brought  to  my  lips  thiit  be- 
ginning of  the  Blessed  Virgin's  beautiful  canticle." 

Wo  can  guess  what  were  their  conversation?,  in 
whicii  spiritual  matters  always  had  tlic  largest 
pUicc .  Ideas  of  a  religious  vocation  liad  vigorously 
assailed  ]\r.  de  Plas  when  he  saw  one  of  his  most 
intimate  friends,  M.  <.lo  Cuers,  abandon  the  service 
to  enter  the  con;T!recjation  of  which  he  became  the 
superior-general.  Several  retreats  not  having 
brought  him  suflicient  light.  Father  Clerc  could 
only  advise  him  to  accept  the  employments  of  his 
rank,  wherein  opportunities  would  not  be  wanting 
for  him  to  preach  by  example  ;  it  was  thus  he  be- 
came flag-master  of  Admiral  Bouot-Willaumcz  on 
board  the  SoJfcrino,  and  miijor  of  the  fleet  at 
Iloehefort.  Meanwhile  years  were  added  to  years, 
and  the  time  would  soon  arrive  for  the  commander 
to  retire  ;  his  inclinations  for  the  religious  life  had 
only  grown  stronger,  but  he  feared  that  his  age 
was  an  obstacle  to  the  realization  of  his  wishes. 
Father  Clerc  then  said  to  him  :  '•  You  are  well 
versed  in  the  '  Spiritual  Exercises '  of  St.  Ignatius, 
you  are  acquainted  with  his  rules  for  election;  you 
can  apply  them  to  the  decision  I  propose  to  you." 
He  proposed  to  M.  de  Plas  to  enter  the  Society  of 
Jesus,  provided  he  could  obtain  a  dispensation  of 
age;  tliis  dispensation,  Father  Clerc  thought, 
would  not  be  refused  to  a  postulant  of  such  stand- 
ing. 

The  election  was  made,  the  decision  taken,  the 
dispensation  asked  and  obtained  ;  and  some  time 


i: 

'.I          \ 

I     \ 

426 


Alexis  CIe7-c. 


afterwards  ibe  commantler,  whoso  last  ties  to  the 
world  were  broken,  conld  write  to  his  friend  from 
the  novitiate  of  Angers:  *' Even  as  you  told  me, 
and  promised  me,  so  to  ppeak,  I  find  here  great 
peace,  and  God  repays  me  most  generously  for  the 
little  share  of  good  will  I  brought  him."   Father  Do 
Plas'  novitiate,  com.mcneedat  Angers,  was  finished 
in  Rome ;  and    there  he  received  from  his  friend  . 
outpourings  of  the  heart  like  this:  "I  frankly  ac- 
knowledge that  I  also  am  most  anxious  that  we 
should  meet  again.     It  is  such  a  joy  to  me  to  think 
of  you  since  1  know  that  you  are  in  the  Society  ;  I 
am  certain  that  you  congratulate  yourself  every 
day  more  and  more  for  the  favor  God  has  granted 
you,  that  j^ou  bless  God  from  the  depths  of  your 
heart,  and  every   dny  love  him  more  and  more  ; 
and  this  affords  me  sweet  consolation."     A  visit  to 
the  port  of  Cherbourg  during  the  Lent  he  preached 
in  one  of  the  parishes  of  the  city,  suggests  these 
rcflecticns  upon  a  past  which  neither  the  one  nor 
the  other  is  tempted  to  regret :   *^  I  have  visited 
your  Solferino.     It  is  already  an  old  tub  ;  the  new- 
fashioned  wonders  give  me  but  little  desire  to  re- 
commence.    After  3"our  career,  which  was  so  diffi- 
cult and  so  complete,  you  come  to  seek,  instead  of 
the  rest,  the  honor  you  have  gained,  labor  and  con- 
tempt in   the    Society.      0   my  very  dear   com- 
mander I  let  us  yet  once  moro  rejoice  that  God 
gives  you  intelligence  of  wliat  so  few  men  can  un- 
derstand." 

In  connection  with  Clerc's  sojourn  in  Brest  we 
had  a  glimpse  of  a  midshipman  whom  he  met  at 


m 


to  the 
i  from 
Id  me, 
0  great 
for  the 
ther  Dc 
Qnishcd 
3  fricud  . 
iildy  ac- 
tliat  wc 
to  think 
ciety  ;  I 
If  every 
granted 
of  your 
d  more  ; 
L  visit  to 
preached 
3ts  these 
one  nor 
0  visited 
the  new- 
re  to  rc- 
s  so  difTi- 
nstead  of 
and  con- 
cur  com- 
hat  God 
can  un- 

Brest  wc 

ic  met  at 


FatJier  Clerc  and  his  Old  Comrades.     427 

the  Conference  of  St.  Vincent  de  Paul,  and  who, 
enlightened  by  Lis  ov/n  secret  simihir  aspirations, 
irnnicdiatelv  discerned  in  Clerc  the  still  hidden 
gcnn  of  the  religions  vocation.*  At  that  time  more 
fortunate  than  Clerc,  Jers  shackled  by  family  cir- 
cumstances, that  midshipman  was  the  fnvt  to  ]uit 
oif  the  uniform  ;  he  entered  the  Sociely  of  Jesus 
while  his  friend  was  on  the  China  expedition.  But 
Clerc  was  not  slow  in  rejoining  him.  Living  un- 
der the  same  roof  and  eating  at  the  same  table, 
they  together  bore  in  Paris  and  Laval  the  amiable 
and  sweet  5011:0  of  the  Lord.  Sometimes  separated 
and  sometimes  united,  according  as  obedience  dis- 
posed of  them  for  the  greater  glory  of  God,  they 
ceased  not  to  congratulate  themselves  upon  having 
been  faithful  to  the  rendezvous  in  the  army  of  the 
Lord  they  had  given  one  another  while  they  still 
belonged  to  the  army  of  the  world. 

Has  not  the  reader  been  struck  as  wo  were  ? 
From  the  humble  and  pious  Joubert,  who  one  day 
belook  himself  to  Saint  Sulpice  and  at  twent}'- 
nine  years  of  age  died  a  deacon,  to  the  commander 
of  the  Ca.'?sini,  how  many  graces  of  vocation  fell 
around  Clerc  upon  officers  of  all  ranks  !t  It  re- 
minds us  of  what  he  used  to  sny :  "  Wo  are  the 
children  of  sainfs,  we  Frenchmen  especially,  moro 

♦Chapter  iii.  p.  86. 

t  Let  us  recall  a  few  names  :  Commaixlor  Marconiu,  who 
wiKhed  to  become  a  Marist ;  M.  de  Cuers,  who  die  1  superior- 
general  of  the  Priests  of  theBless'^d  Sacrament  ;  M.  do  G , 

ttitit  midshipman  won  by  Father  Clerc  to  the  practice  r.f  his 
religion,  and  who  writes  to  us  frum  the  Chartrvu.so  of  Kepo- 
soii'.  We  might  add  the  Abbd  de  Brozli>',  wlio  was  one  it 
ili,>  rflicers  of  the  Solferino  ut  tho  sanio  t;mo  with  Commander 
do  Plas. 


ii 


428 


Alexis  Clerc. 


mi 

m 

fJi'i'Sv 

fill 

II 

■J  I 


truly,  perhaps,  than  any  other  people  of  Christen- 
dom, and  there  are  few  among  ns  who  have  not  the 
blood  of  saints  in  their  veins." 

When  the  ardor  of  this  generous  blood  is  en 
.'iindled  we  are  capable  of  all  kinds  of  devotedness, 
of  all  sorts  of  heroism.  If  the  laws,  if  the  admin- 
istrative customs  of  these  days  did  not  restrain  the 
expansion  of  the  Christian  life,  we  should  see  on 
this  fertile  soil  that  has  so  many  times  been  wa- 
tered by  the  blood  of  martyrs,  the  grand  monas- 
tic and  chivalric  vocations  of  the  old  ages  of  faith 
flourishing  again  under  a  new  form.  This  would 
be  the  regeneration,  better  still,  the  resurrection, 
of  France. 


'ii!<;: 


'istcn- 
ot  the 


is  en 
;dnesb, 
[idmin- 
ain  the 

see  on 
een  wa- 
rn on  as- 
oi  faith 
s  would 
'rection, 


«i! 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

FATHKR  CLERC  AT  SAINT  VINCENT  DE  LAON  AND  IN  THE  AM- 
BULANCE OF  VAUGIRARD— HIS  LAST  VOWS. 

Fatheh  Clero  was  fifty  years  of  age  and  fifteen 
of  religions  life  when,  in  the  month  of  October, 
18G9,  his  superiors  sent  him  to  the  house  of  Saint 
Vincent  at  Liion  to  make  that  third  probation 
which  the  Society  of  Jesus  reserves  for  its  children 
in  the  midst  of  their  career,  and  by  which  it  com- 
pletes the  formation  in  them  of  the  interior  man 
before  admitting  them  to  their  last  vovrs. 

St.  Ignatius  placed  our  ideal  high,  and  l.c  has 
spared  nothing  to  bring  us  as  near  to  it  as  possible. 
That  holy  founder  has  been  justly  represented  as 
"an  artisan  bending  eagerly  over  his  work  to  fash- 
ion and  perfect  it ;  examininj^:  it,  then  retouch- 
ing and  repolishing,  and  yielding  it  to  its  destina- 
tion only  when  he  has  exhausted  all  the  resources 
of  a  patient  and  laborious  art."  * 

Behold,  then,  after  long  years  consecrated  partly 
to  study  and  partly  to  teaching  the  divine  and  hu- 
man sciences,  the  religious,  already  a  priest  and  in 
his  full  maturity,  called  to  a  school  still  higher 
than  those  he  has  passed  through — the  school  of 

*  Father  de  Ravifrnan  on  the  "  Existence  and  Institute  of  tha 
JesuitF,"  chap.  ii.  § 3,  " TLe  Third  Probation." 

4.29 


?1  •    J 

in  i, 

i)  ,  .  1   !  - 
11  i.i  i: 

mm 


430 


A /ex  is  Clcrc, 


the  heart  {scUoJa  affeckis).  The  word  is  charining", 
and  it  was  invented  by  St.  Ignatius  himself,  who 
had  the  bowels  of  a  father  as  well  as  the  genius  of 
a  legislator. 

This  scJwIa  affod^is  is,  then,  a  new  novitiate,  or 
as  well  say  a  new  childhood,  by  reason  of  its  pupils' 
simplicity  of  heart  and  docility  in  allowing  them- 
selves to  be  guided  ;  but  also  a  manly  and  vigorous 
school  that  exacts  of  its  disciples  an  active  and 
spontaneous  co-operation  in  the  interior  work  of 
which  thelv  will  is  the  indispensable  instrument 
and  their  religious  perfection  tlie  object. 

On  the  threshold  of  this  second  novitiate  there  is 
again  the  long  retreat,  the  "Spiritual  Exercises" 
during  thirty  days.  This  time  it  is  no  more  the 
milk  of  babes,  but  the  bread  of  the  strong.  With 
what  generosity  Father  Clerc  entered  on  the  way  that 
was  marked  out  for  him  !  He  was  acquainted  with 
it  already,  having  for  years  diligently  studied  the 
'^  Exercises  "  ;  but  he  was  cautious  about  directing 
himself  and  relying  on  his  own  prudence.  The 
notes  we  have  before  us  attest  his  eagerness  to 
have  recourse  to  the  lights  of  the  father  instructor ; 
they  show  us  also  his  combats,  his  fidelity  in  strug- 
gling against  desolation  and  dryness  to  the  degree 
of  doubling  the  hour  of  meditation,  if  it  happened 
to  him  to  experience  only  trouble  and  anxiety 
therein  ;  and,  finally,  they  reveal  his  extraordinary 
mortification,  for  which  he  obtained  that  year  a 
latitude  that  had  been  refused  him  when  he  bore 
the  fatigues  of  the  professorship.  He  was  allowed 
to  take  the  disc:pline  every  day  except  Sundays 


Saint  Vincent  dc  Laon. 


431 


inning, 
;lf,  wlio 
iiiius  of 

tiatc,  or 
s  pupils' 
ig  thom- 
yigorous 
stive  and 
■  work  of 
strument 

Le  there  is 
Ixcrciscs  " 
more  ilic 
ig.  Will) 
e  way  that 

mtcd  willi 
,udicd  tlio 
;  directing 
ncc.    The 
rrcrness  to 
nstructor ; 
y  in  striig- 
;lie  degree 
, happened 
id  anxiety 
raordinary 
.lat  year  a 
n  he  hore 
as  allowed 
t  Sundays 


I 


and  festivals,  and  to  fast  tlircc  times  a  week.  lie. 
would  have  liked  to  fast  contiuuallv. 

The  reproaches  ho  addresses  himself  (we  will  do 
well  not  to  helieve  them  literally  deserved)  hetokcn 
an  ardent  desire  of  attaining,  with  God's  grace,  the 
highest  possible  degree  of  i)urity  of  intention. 

He  asks  himself  if  honors  are  an  end  worthy 
of  him.  *^  Honors? — Shall  I  labor  to  be  praised, 
to  liave  it  said  of  mo  that  1  am  skilful  and  intelli- 
gent, or  some  other  flattering  thing  ?  What  a  re- 
compense !  Yani  vanam.  Those  who  are  vain 
have  received  a  yain  reward.  Henceforth  I  must 
not  permit  myself  to  he  allured  by  the  sweetness  of 
praise.  Contentment  with  self? — Still  vainer  and 
more  dangerous.  I  have  scarcely  ever  sought  any- 
thing else.  To  find  peace  and  interior  joy  in  one's 
duty  is  good  ;  hut  to  seek  our  own  satisfaction  in 
our  works  is  had  and  illusive.  Now,  this  is  my 
case  only  too  often,  and,  provided  I  have  fulfilled 
my  charge,  I  give  little  thought  to  God's  service  or 
my  neighbor's  welfare.  What  vanity,  since  such 
work  is  fruitless  !  I  myself  am  its  principle  and  its 
end  ;  it  is  an  occupation,  not  a  work.  It  would  bo 
worse  still  to  take  delight  in  our  virtue.  Thank 
God,  I  do  not  think  I  am  such  a  fool  as  that  !  I 
have  so  little  material  for  illusion  on  that  sub- 
ject." 

A  little  further  on  he  says  :  *' Wh.at  profit  have 
I  derived  from  so  much  even  painful  labor  ? 
What  I  nothing  else  than  being  forgotten  ?  Ah  I 
my  God,  let  not  all  of  it  perish.  And  what  ad- 
vantage has  it  been  to  others  ?     How  small  and 


I: 


i 


mm\ 


III 


432 


Alexis  Clcrc. 


rare  are  its  fruits  !  OIi  !  if  I  had  but  Tivificrl  my 
activity  by  union  with  God,  by  prayer,  by  abnega- 
tion, and  by  making  cvcrvtliing  conduce  to  the 
glory  of  God  !  " 

It  is  only  saints  who  judge  themselves  thus. 
Has  not  the  Holy  Spirit  said:  '*  The  just  is  first 
accuser  of  himself"?  But  he  adds  immediately  : 
*'  His  friend  comethand  shall  search  him  "  (Prov. 
xviii.  17).  We  have,  then,  a  right  to  examine  the  se- 
vere judgment  our  holy  brother  passed  upon  him- 
self. 

The  ardor  of  his  love  for  Jesus  Christ  bursts 
forth  at  these  words  of  the  holy  old  man  Simeon  : 
^^  Quia  vlderunt  oculi  mci  salutare  iiiuvi ! '^ — For 
my  eyes  have  seen  thy  salvation.  *'  I  implore 
thee,  0  my  God!  command  this  light  to  shine 
upon  my  soul.  Thou  art  the  sun,  thou  art  splen- 
dor ;  let  thy  radiance  dazzle  my  eyes,  so  that  hence- 
forth they  can  sec  naught  else  ;  let  every  other  love 
bo  extinguished,  every  desire  stifled,  CYcry  curiosity 
destroyed.  What  need  has  he  to  learn  and  know 
new  things  who  knows  eternal  truth  ?  What  is 
there  beautiful  and  seductive  to  him  who  has  had 
a  glimpse  of  thy  beauty  ?  A  single  ray  of  thy 
glory  can  effect  all  this  in  our  souls.  We  can  live 
afterwards,  but  we  are  as  though  dead;  we  see 
without  seeing,  we  hear  without  hearing,  or,  bet- 
ter, we  see  and  hear  Jesus  in  all  things  and  every- 
where." 

But  now  the  light  grows  dim  to  his  eyes.  He 
listens,  he  hears  nothing ;  none  of  those  words  in 
which  are  recognized  the  accents  of  the  Beloved. 


Saint  Vincent  de  Laon, 


433 


ficd  my 
abuega- 
I  to   tbo 

^es  tluis. 
st  is  first 
cdialely  : 
1 "  (Prov. 
.ne  the  sc- 
ipon  bitn- 

ist  bursts 
1  Simeon : 
m  1  "—For 
I  implore 
t  to  sliiue 
art  splen- 
Aiat  beiicc- 
^  other  love 
-y  curiosity 
I  and  know 
What  is 
ho  has  had 
ray  of  tby 
We  can  live 
ad;  we  see 
ng,  or,  bet- 
and  every- 


,s  eyes.  -Li^ 
►se  words  in 
ho  Beloved. 


The  following  page,  no  Hues  of  which  I  am  willing 
to  suppress,  is  the  faithful  picture  of  a  soul  burn- 
ing with  the  desire  of  perfection,  but  at  the  same 
time  humbly  submissive  to  God,  who  is  master  of 
his  gifts  : 

**I  earnestly  beg  for  a  bright  I'ght  by  which  to 
regulate  the  future,  a  profound  sentiment  of  the 
desire  of  serving  God  by  that  means ;  it  seems  to 
me  I  have  done  all  that  is  possible  to  obtain 
it,  that  I  have  neglected  absolutely  nothing  of 
what  was  prescribed,  recommended,  and  of  what  I 
believed  I  could  do  on  my  side — fidelity,  prayer, 
mortifications.  I  have  omitted  nothing,  and  yet  I 
have  not  obtained  that  abundant  grace.  It  is 
nevertheless  according  to  Christian  wisdom,  since  I 
ask  only  to  know  what  God  desires  of  me,  and 
since  it  is  with  the  most  intense  desire,  and,  I  be- 
lieve, with  entire  good  will,  that  I  say  :  Quid  mo 
vis  facere? — What  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do  ?  (St. 
Paul's  words  at  the  moment  of  his  conversion. 
Acts  ix.  G).  Moreover,  that  desire,  good  in  itself, 
is  likewise  good  for  me,  who  would  receive  from  h 
so  powerful  an  excitation,  so  strong  an  impulse. 
Yes,  Lord,  I  ask  a  grace  of  conversion  that  will 
make  of  me  from  this  day  a  thoroughly  nc  ;  man. 

"Perhaps  the  Lord  answers  me  : 

" '  Is  not  the  power  of  making  the  long  retreat  as 
well  as  thou  couldst  a  great  grace  which  I  have 
given  thee  ?  Is  not  this  eager  desire  thou  dost  ex- 
perience another  ?  Qui  hiicrit,  sit  let  adhuc — 
Whosoever  drinketh  shall  thirst  again. 

*' '  Thou  wouldstbe  satisfied  :  and  dost  thou  not 


I ' 

1.. 


434  Alexis  Clerc. 

know  that  tlmt  would  be  a  misfortune  ?  Dost 
tliou  not  know  what  I  ask  of  tlice,  and  if  thou 
Ivnowcst  it  why  dost  thou  desire  more  light  ?  I  give 
Ihce  the  measure  that  is  suitable  for  thee.  I  wish 
to  see  thee  walking  with  the  imperfect  light  which 
I  ccmmuniciite  to  thee ;  is  faith,  then,  without 
obscurity  ?    Is  it  less  certain  for  being  obscure  ? 

"  '  Ilast  thou  not  to  counsel  and  calm  thee  my 
servant,  to  whom  I  will  that  thou  shoulJst  frankly 
open  thy  heart  ?  Is  it  not  more  excellent  for  thee 
to  be  obliged  to  have  recourse  to  him,  than  if  thou 
shouldst  walk  in  confidence  ?  Wouldst  thou  not 
be  exposed  to  walking  very  soon  in  confidence  in 
thyself  ? 

"  *Is  not  this  the  regular  and  paternal  order  of 
my  supernatural  providence  ?  and  why  demand  a 
revelation  which  is  not  necessary  ? 

"  *  Extraordinary  graces  would  make  thee  vain, 
and  the  first  answer  to  thy  prayer  is  to  correct  thy 
eelf-love  instead  of  giving  it  nourishment. 

" '  Besides,  hast  thou  not  sti'ength  sufficient  to 
walk  in  the  execution  of  thy  resolutions  ? 

"  *Tiiey  are  good,  wise,  taken  in  the  sincere  in- 
tention of  my  service,  and  under  my  inspiration 
certain  though  concealed  ;  canst  thou  doubt  that  I 
will  aid  thee  to  accomplish  them  ? 

** '  Thou  dost  hope  much  from  a  great  move- 
ment of  love  whichl  might  give  thee.  In  the  first 
jDlace  that  movement  would  be  fleeting,  and  in  tho 
second  place  it  would  leave  thee  ytill  in  need  of 
my  continual  help. 

"  '  This  help,  which  would  always  be  necessary 


Saint  Vincent  dc  La  on. 


435 


>    Dost 
if  tliou 

Igivo 

I  wish 

it  wbicli 
Y^itbout 

jcurc  ? 
tbce  my 
t  frankly 

for  tlieo 
n  if  thou 

tlioti  not 
[idence  in 

1  order  of 
demand  a 

,liec  yain, 
orrect  tLy 

fficient  to 

V 

Ibincero  in- 
nspiration 
,ubt  that  I 

Ireat  movc- 
lln  the  first 
land  in  tlio 
in  need  of 

|c  necessary 


to  thee,  shall  always  be  sufficient;  I  will  always 
give  it  to  tbce. 

"  *  Thou  wisbest  to  feel  it ;  but  dost  thou  feci 
the  help  by  wbicb  I  sustain  all  tliy  faculties,  tliy 
whole  being,  by  which  I  concur  in  all  thy  acts  ? 
Such  is  my  conduct — very  strong  and  very  gentle, 
as  well  in  the  order  of  grace  as  in  the  order  of  na- 
ture. 

"  '  Moreover,  is  not  the  state  thy  soul  has  been 
in  for  twenty-five  days  a  grace  thou  canst  easily 
enough  authenticate  ?  Is  it  a  doubtful  sign  of  my 
assista:icc  ? 

"  'Thou  wouldst  like  more  ;  but  when  I  should 
have  given  thee  more,  wouldst  thou  not  want  still 
more  ?  Since  thou  knowest  that  thou  dost  act 
with  mo  and  by  me  in  thy  resolutions,  that  should 
suffice  thee,  and  thou  shouldst  blindly  confide  thy- 
self to  my  love  (it  shall  be  done). 

"  *  What  more  beautiful  device  could  I  give  thee 
tlian  *  Fro  conic  mco,  2^cr  i2)S2tvi  cor  mcum^  ct  cum 
ipso,  ct  in  ijjso  ' — *  For  my  heart,  by  my  heart,  with 
it  and  in  it'  ? 

"  *  Thy  desire  pleases  me.  Pray  earnestly  to  my 
Ilcart,  to  that  of  my  Mother,  and  leave  me  to 
answer  thy  prayer  in  my  own  good  time.'  " 

**  All  for  the  Heart  of  Jesus,  by  that  Heart,  with 
it  and  it  it" — such,  then,  was  Father  Clerc's  watch- 
-  v,ord  on  coming  out  of  his  long  retreat.  Finding 
Limself  in  the  scJwol  of  the  heart,  it  was  not  a  bad 
inspiration  for  him  to  take  for  master,  model,  and 
support,  the  Heart  of  his  God.  Kovembcr  25  ho 
pronounced  in  the  hands  of  the  father  instructor 


43^ 


Aicxis  Clcrc, 


u 


an  Act  of  Consecration  to  the  S:icrcd  Ilcarb  of 
Jesus,*  "for  which  I  rejoice  in  the  Lord,"  ho 
wrote,  "giving  thanks  a  thousand  times  to  the 
goodness  of  God  and  to  the  tenderness  of  the  Sa- 
cred Heart  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  He  places 
his  resolutions  under  the  auspices  of  that  adorable 
Heart,  and  they  consist  in  nothing  less  than  that 
perfect  abnegation  which  sums  up  the  whole  sci- 
ence of  the  saints,  and  which  St.  Ignatius  entitles 
tliG  third  degree  of  humility.  "  In  this  matter,"  he 
wrote,  *'  there  can  be  no  deliberation  about  what  is 
necessary  ;  wo  must  strongly  resolve,  and  then  exe- 
cute, cost  ^vhat  it  may.  Now,  this  necessity  is 
found  for  mo  in  the  third  degree  of  humility  and 
in  the  eleventh  rule  of  the  Summary,!  and  I  de- 
sire to  have  it  always  present  to  my  mind."  As  to 
the  motives  of  his  coMsccration  to  the  Sacred  Heart, 
I  confine  myself  to  this  one  :  "I  believe  that  this 
devotion  gives  a  right  to  an  immediate  effusion  of 
the  Sacred  Heart  of  our  Lord  into  our  hearts." 

Fifteen  years  before,  when  making  at  Saint 
Acheul  his  first  long  retreat,  he  had  taken  these 
same  generous  resolutions.  It  is  his  merit  and  his 
honor  to  have  renewed  them  with  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  all  they  comprehend,  and  with  a  sir,- 
cerity  that  shows  especially  in  the  means  by  which 
he  ensures  their  execution. 

It  is  easy  to  imagine  how  he  passed  that  year 


*See  Appendix. 

+  Iq  the  "Third  Degree  of  Humility  "and  the  "Eleventh 
Rule  of  the  Summary  "  St.  Ignatius  inculcates  the  doctrine  oi! 
desiring  and  asking  for  humiliations  for  the  sake  of  imitutiug 
our  hord.—Note  of  Translator. 


Slim  Vincent  dc  Laon, 


437 


Lcart  o£ 
ird,"  lie 

;   to   tllO 

the  Sa- 
Lc  places 
adorable 
[laii  Uiat 
bole  sci- 
3  cnlitlcs 
ittcr,"  ho 
it  wbat  13 
tben  exe- 
icessity  is 
nility  and 
and  I  dc- 
L"    As  to 
:cd  Heart, 

tbat  tbis 
fEusion  of 
carts." 

at  Saint 
ikcn  tbcse 

it  and  bis 

tborougb 

witb  a  sin- 
s  by  vv'bicb 

tbat  year 


e  "Eleventh 

■le  doctrine  ot 

of  imitutiug 


devoted  entirely  to  tbe  exercises  of  tlio  interior  life, 
and  to  works  in  wbicli  zeal  displays  itself  only  un- 
der tbe  bumblcst  forms.     Tbe  fatber  instructor  ad- 
mired bis  docility,  rendered  more  meritoiious  by 
bis  age.    lie  writes  us:  "IIo  was  always  found 
ready  not   only   to  cxcciito   (be  commands  given 
bim,  but  to  anticipate  tbe  wishes  of  tbosc  wbo  licld 
tbo  place  of  God  in  bis  regard."    As  to  bis  bretb- 
rcn,  tbey  were  at  once  ediDcd  and  cbarmed,  and 
that  virtue,  so  austere  in  its  foundation?,  left  tbo 
pleasantest    impression  upon   tbcm  all.     One  of 
them  writes  us  :  *'  It  was  my  privilege  to  spend 
witb  bim   tbe  year  wbicli  preceded  bis  glorious 
dcatb,  the  good  year  of  tbe  third  probation.     No- 
body appreciated  better  than  bo  tbat  favor  wbicb 
tbe  Society  grants  its  cbildrcn.    Twenty  times  was 
be  beard  congratulating  bimself  on  tbo  fact  tbat 
an  old  man  lihc  him  could  enjoy  sucb  a  year.     He 
was  a  model  for  eacli  one  of  us.    Notwithstanding 
bis  fifty  years  of  age,  be  bad  all  the  simplicity,  I  will 
add,  even  tbe  graces  and  amiability,  of  tbo  religious 
cbildbood.     He  would  ask  like  a  child  all  tbo  little 
permissions  prescribed  by  tbe  rule.     To  bim  tbey 
were  none  of  tbem  little.     He  knew,  be  bad  a  pre- 
sentiment, perbaps,  tbat  by  a  continual  abnegation 
in  little  things  be  was  preparing  bimself  for  tbe 
greatest — for  tbe  apostolatc,  for  martyrdom.     He 
was  always  ready  for  any  service,  and  he  seemed  to 
take  pleasure  in  cliargiug  bimself  witb  some  extra 
employment  or  some  disagreeable  task.    Of  a  lively 
imagination  and  a  sprigbtly  disposition,  be  was  a 
very  deligbtful  talker,  and  bis  narratives  were  en- 


438  Alexis  Clerc. 

chanting.  I  think  no  one  ever  tired  of  his  conver- 
sation, which  united  the  useful  and  the  agreeable. 
His  information  was  extremely  varied,  and  he 
joined  to  a  great  deal  of  wit  an  exquisite  good 
sense  which  enabled  him  to  form  a  just  apprecia- 
tion of  things.  Need  wc  add  that  during  the 
hours  of  recreation  and  promenade  all  were  glad  to 
be  near  him  ?  Full  of  charity  for  persons,  ho  had 
no  toleration  for  error,  which  he  had  the  gift  of  dis- 
covering under  no  matter  what  disguise.  The  rec- 
tifcudo  of  his  judgment  made  him  abhor  as  by  in- 
-^  stinct  that  mixture  of  principles  called  liberal  Ca- 
tJioIicisvi,  and  more  than  once  1  have  heard  him 
stigmatize  that  deplorable  system  of  conciliation  as 
energetically  as  has  since  our  Holy  Father  Pope 
Pius  IX.,  in  saying  that  it  is  a  vcrital'le  scourge.^* 
In  the  house  of  St.  Vincent  they  occupied  them- 
selves but  little  with  politics,  and  they  had  only  a 
very  vague  knowledge  of  what  was  transpiring  in 
the  exterior  world.  Still,  they  could  not  be  igno- 
l|i^  rant  of  the  commotion  excited  by  the  Council  of  the 

Vatican  ;  and  in  the  anticipation  of  an  approach- 
ing struggle  between  the  Revolution  and  the 
Church  they  could  not  be  sure  of  the  part  that 
would  be  taken  by  the  imperial  government,  jeal- 
ous of  reviving  its  prestige  even  at  the  price  of  the 
most  compromising  alliances.  But  they  were  very 
few  who  saw  therein  a  peril  and  menace  to  the 
peace  of  Europe.  We  remember  how  in  the  month 
of  April,  1870,  under  the  liberal  and  pacific  minis- 
try of  M.  Emile  Oilivier,  all  was  couUiir  de  rose  ; 
and  who  then  thought  of  the  black  clouds  tliat 


The  Ambulance  of  Vaugirard,  439 


311  ver- 

eublc. 

ad  he 

5  good 

precia- 

ig    tllG 

^lad  to 

bo  had 

,  of  dis- 

'ho  rcc- 

5  by  in- 

\n(l  Ga- 

ird  him 

[ition  as 

31-  Pope 

urge." 

d  them- 
only  a 
ring  ill 

be  igno- 
ilof  the 
proach- 

md   the 
larfc  that 
nt,  jeal- 
e  of  the 
ere  very 
to  the 
le  month 
ic  minis- 
de  rose; 
Lids  that 


were  seen  in  the  liorizon  on  the  morrow  of  Sadowa  ? 
Father  Clerc  did  not  sliare  t'he  general  ilhision  ;  he 
foresaw  the  approaching  tempest,  and  from  that 
moment  predicted  it.  One  of  liis  old  comrades 
having  come  to  St.  Vincent  to  see  liim,  they  spoke 
of  the  (]iilerent  careers  which  young  men  might 
enter.  The  father  pronounced  in  favor  of  tlie  mili- 
tary career,  and  as  his  friend  did  not  immediately 
agree  with  him,  ho  said  :  "There  is  going  to  be  a 
general  breaking  up,  when  and  how  I  know  not, 
but  certainly  there  will  be  one  before  long."  Upon 
which  his  interlocutor  adds:  **  AVithout  having 
much  faitli  in  the  then  existing  order  of  things,  I 
did  not  suppose  I  was  listening  to  a  prophecy  that 
would  so  soon  be  verified." 

Four  months  after  this  conversation  we  were  not 
only  in  full  tide  of  war,  but  in  full  tide  of  hreahinfj 
lip,  and  beaten  blow  after  blow  at  Wissembourg 
and  at  Reichshollon  while  awaiting  the  catastrophe 
of  Sedan.  Under  such  circumstances  Father 
Clerc's  place  was  at  the  camps  or  in  the  ambu- 
lances ;  he  was  first  sent  to  Cherbourg  to  prepare 
the  sailors  for  the  struggle  by  reconciling  them  to 
God  ;  after  which  he  was  assigned  his  post  of  de- 
votedness  and  peril  in  the  ambulance  of  the  college 
of  Vaugirard,  and  he  did  not  leave  it  during  the 
enti  •  iege.  He  was  there  joined  by  his  old  com- 
maiiJer,  now  Father  De  Plas,  and  both  reaped  in 
the  exercise  of  charity  what  they  had  together  sown 
in  their  Chinese  expedition. 

Father  Clerc  directed  the  ambulance,  and  he 
profited  by  his  position  to  make  himself  the  servant 


440 


Alexis  Clerc. 


of  all  and  to  secure  a  largo  sliarc  of  the  roughest 
and  most  mortifying  hospital  employments.  Then 
was  seen  what  treasures  of  abnegation  ho  had 
amassed  during  the  course  of  his  religious  life.  I 
speak  from  the  testimony  of  ocular  witnesses,  wlio, 
without  any  intention  of  watching,  did  pot  lose 
sight  of  him,  and  still  preserve  tlio  impression  of 
the  admirable  example  he  daily  gave  them. 

His  daily  regulation  was  as  follows :  At  half-past 
five  he  ascended  to  the  altar  and  celebrated  f'le  Holy 
Sacrifice  of  the  Mass,  and  after  his  thanksgiving 
went  down  to  the  ambulance,  where  he  commenced 
by  reciting  his  breviary.  That  done,  ho  belonged 
entirely  to  liis  dear  wounded  soldiers.  He  first 
visited  the  most  suffering,  consoled  them,  distribut- 
ed little  comforts — in  a  word,  rendered  them  all  the 
services  the  tenderest  charity  could  suggest.  Then 
he  pursued  his  visits,  going  from  bed  to  bed,  ad- 
dressing a  kind  good-morning  to  each,  informing 
himself  of  the  needs  of  the  body  as  well  as  of  the 
soul,  always  ready  to  satisfy  both. 

The  hour  of  repast  being  come,  he  recited  the 
Bcnedlcitc,  to  which  the  jiatients  responded.  After 
this  he  pub  on  an  apron,  joined  the  servants,  and 
distributed  the  yegetablos,  soup,  etc.  ;  then,  as  a 
tender  mother  would  have  done  for  her  child,  he 
assisted  those  to  cat  whoso  wounds  prevented  them 
from  using  their  limbs. 

When  he  had  himself  taken  his  meal  he  almost 
always  came  to  the  ambulance  to  pass  his  recrea- 
tion, to  the  great  delight  of  the  invalids. 

The  afternoon  was  a  repetition  of  the  morning  ; 


The  Avihnlance  of  Vmigirard.  /!ifAf\ 


•ouglicst 
.     Then 

ho  liad 
3  life.  I 
3es,  wlio, 

pot  lose 
L'cssion  o£ 

1. 
half -past 

I  t^e  Holy 
,iiksgiving 
)inmenced 
3  belonf^ed 
lie  first 
,  distribiit- 
iiem  all  tlio 
est.    Then 

0  bed,  ad- 
inform  mg 

1  as  of  tho 

recited  the 
led.  After 
•vants,  and 
then,  as  a 
}!'  child,  he 
■en ted  them 

il  he  almost 
his  recrea- 

s. 

0  morning  ; 


and  this  routine,  so  cruel  to  nature,  was  renewed 
every  day,  unless  after  some  engagement  the  father 
judged  his  presence  more  useful  outside  than  in 
the  ambulance.  Then  he  went  to  the  scene  of  ac- 
tion to  administer  the  sacraments  to  the  dying, 
and  to  relieve  and  encourairo   the  wounded  who 


"c 


were  awaiting  the  college  omnibus.  He  was  seen  at 
Champigny  and  at  Bagneux  exposing  himself  to  a 
lively  fire  without  showing  the  least  sign  of  ner- 
vousness. At  Bagneux  the  fighting  was  in  the 
village  itself.  When  the  omnibus  returned  for  the 
second  time  it  did  not  bring  back  Father  Clcrc. 
Very  uneasy,  the  father  rector  has  himself  con- 
ducted immediately  to  the  place  where  Father 
Clerc  disappeared,  and  this  at  the  risk  of  falling 
in  the  midst  of  the  enemy,  who  have,  it  is  said,  re- 
taken the  village  that  was  carried  in  the  morning 
by  the  French,  who  now  fight  while  retreating. 

They  arrive  ;  they  anxiously  hurry  over  the  still 
smoking  battle-field.  What  is  not  the  surprise 
and  joy  of  father  rector  and  his  companions  when, 
after  a  quarter  of  an  hour's  search,  they  find 
Father  Clcrc  seated  on  a  rock  and  reciting  his 
breviary  as  tranquilly  as  if  in  his  own  room  ! 

Wlien  the  wounded  arrived  at  the  ambulance,  ho 
himself  stanched  the  blood  that  flowed  from  their 
wounds,  and  with  a  sponge  bathed  their  lacerated 
and  blood-stained  members.  He  also  washed  their 
feet,  happy  to  imitate  in  that  his  Divine  Master, 
not  by  a  mere  ceremony,  but  by  repeated  acts  in 
which  humility  and  charity  had  for  their  insepara- 
ble companion  a  most  meritorious  mortification. 


442 


Alexis  Clcrc. 


He  cliangcd  ilicir  linen  and  bandages,  spared  no 
pains  to  ju'ocure  them  some  alleyiation,  and  with 
his  own  hands  several  times  a  day  dressed  the  most 
repulsive  sores. 

How  tonehed  those  poor  fellows  were  !  It  would 
have  needed  a  heart  of  bronze  to  resist  so  much 
ciiarity ;  and,  thank  God  !  our  soldiers  are  not  so 
constructed.  We  are  told  of  one  of  them,  Renau- 
din,  a  native  of  Paris,  and  a  blacksmith  by  trade  : 
After  only  fifteen  days  of  service  he  had  his  thigh 
fractured  at  Champigny,  and  was  left  seven  or 
eight  hours  moaning  ou  the  battle-field.  Father 
Clerc  took  a  special  interest  in  him  and  induced 
him  to  approach  the  sacraments  several  times'. 
There  was  no  service  too  abject  for  him  to  render 
this  poor  boy.  '^  You  do  not  know,"  the.  latter 
said  one  day  to  another  father—*^  you  do  not  know 
how  good  Father  Clerc  is.  He  has  done  for  me 
what  my  own  father  would  never  have  done.** 
Emotion  overcame  him.  He  could  not  continue 
his  meal,  and  not  knowing  how  to  express  himself, 
he  repeated,  weeping:  "If  you  knew  how  I  love 
him  ! "  A  few  days  afterwards  ho  died  in  the  best 
of  dispositions. 

Father  Clerc  confessed,  almost  unaided,  the  twQ 
hundred  patients  of  the  ambulance.  On  Satur- 
days and  the  vigils  of  feasts,  he  exhorted  them  to 
perform  their  Christian  duties,  and  one  by  one 
they  were  seen  going  to  kneel  at  his  feet,  where 
they  received  pardon.  On  Sundays,  attentive  to 
having  them  hear  Mass,  he  so  arranged  as  to 
make  it  easy,  and  even  pleasant,  for  them.     In 


TJic  A  mbnlance  of  J  \mgirard. 


443 


reel  no 
d  willi 
lg  most 

b  would 

0  iiiucii 
not  so 
Rcnau- 

y  trade  : 

is  tbigli 

seven  or 

leather 

induced 

,1    timcc'. 

to  render 

Llie .  latter 

not  know 

e  for  me 

0  done." 

continue 

Is  himself, 
w  I  love 

111  tlic  best 

.,  tlic  tWQ 

hi  Satur- 

Ll  them  to 

jc  by  one 

[eet,  where 

ttentive  to 

red    as  to 

ftliem.     In 


the  midst  of  so  many  gloomy  days  came  Christmas 
eve,  and  all  of  a  sudden  it  grew  luminous  in  the 
college  chapel  with  a  light  which  had  seemed  to 
have  for  ever  disappeared,  and  which  was  the 
sweetest  of  surprises  to  the  poor  victims  of  the 
furies  of  war.  Thanks  to  the  co-operation  of  a 
certain  number  of  pupils  who  still  frequented  the 
school  as  day  scholars,  and  for  whom  caro  had  been 
taken  to  prepare  bed;?,  tlie  Midnight  Mass  was  cele- 
brated with  a  solemnity  modified,  it  is  true,  but 
very  unexpected  under  these  sad  circumstances; 
and  singing,  accompanied  by  organ,  violoncello,  and 
flute,  was  heard  during  the  sacred  rite.  Besides 
the  kind  friends  wlicso  ingenious  charity  multiplied 
the  resources  and  almost  the  pleasures  of  the  am- 
bulance, there  were  noticed  among  the  worship- 
pers Admiral  de  Montaignac,  who  commanded  the 
fourth  division  and  had  his  headquarters  in  the 
college,  tlic  son  of  the  admiral,  and  several  officers 
of  his  staff.  At  the  moment  of  Communion  the 
pupils,  through  a  delicate  sentiment,  spontaneously 
gave  place  to  the  soldiers  who  had  had  the  honor 
of  shedding  their  blood  for  France.  It  was  not 
without  emotion  that  they  saw  Father  Clcrc  sup- 
porting to  the  communion  rail  two  young  men  of 
eighteen  years  of  age,  who,  much  weakened  by 
their  wounds,  walked  one  on  each  side  of  him,  lean- 
ing on  his  arm.  The  other  patients,  retained  by 
the  gravity  of  their  illness  upon  beds  of  suffering, 
were  not  deprived  of  the  heavenly  food ;  they 
could  not  come  to  kneel  at  the  foot  of  the  rltar, 
but  our  Lord  went  to  them,  preceded  by  the  long 


444 


Aiexis  Clcrc. 


"" 


11 


procession  of  llieir  comrades  currying  lighted  candles 
as  they  marched  in  good  order  in  two  straight 
lines  ;  and  when  the  touching  and  pious  ceremony 
•was  over,  all  those  hearts  of  youth  and  of  soldiers 
were  but  one,  and  nothing  was  wanting  to  the 
miraculous  serenity  of  tliat  night,  when  the  peace 
of  heaven  was  given  onco  more  to  men  of  good 
will. 

Sucli  arc  the  souvenirs  of  the  ambulance  of  Vau- 
girard.  Wc  are  farther  told  that,  in  spite  of  the 
extraordinary  cold  of  that  cruel  v/inter,  Father 
Clerc  would  never  kindle  a  lire  in  liis  room  ;  that 
during  the  entire  cicge  he  gave  himself  not  a  day 
nor  an  hour  of  respite,  never  going  out  excepting 
to  carry  assistance  to  the  dying  and  the  wounded. 
These  details,  certainly  very  incomplete,  do  not  the 
less  give  us  an  idea  of  an  uncommon  virtue,  and 
those  who  furnished  them  were  careful  to  add  ? 
"  Having  no  suspicion  that  he  was  an  elect  of  the 
Lord  for  martyrdom,  wc  did  not  pay  any  very  great 
attention  to  his  actions,  which  were  always  fall  of 
abnegation  ;  and  then  lie  was  so  humble  that  he 
always  found  means  to  have  them  pass  unper- 
ceivcd."  Was  it  not  precisely  this  Avhich  rendered 
tliem  more  holy  and  more  precious  in  God's  sight  ? 

lie  left  the  ambulance  of  Vaugirard  only  to  go  to 
the  School  Saint-Gcnevieve  to  prepare  himself  by 
an  eight  days'  retreat  for  pronouncing  his  last 
vows,  the  date  of  which  ceremony  was  fixed  for  the 
1st  of  March. 

This  was  his  last  retreat.  After  the  wave  of  the 
Commune  had  passer!,  wc  found  in  his  room  which 


candles 
straight 
remony 
soldiers 
to  the 
le  peace 
of  good 

of  Vau- 
B  of  the 
Father 
fm ;  that 
lot  a  day 
ixccpting 
vouiided. 
0  not  the 
rtue,  and 

to  add  : 
ict  of  the 

cry  great 

ys  fall  of 
that  he 
unper- 

rcndercd 


1' 


s  sight  ? 
y  to  go  to 
imself  by 

his  last 
ed  for  the 

ave  of  the 
)om  which 


IJ'iS  Las  if  Vozvs. 


445 


for  two  months,  had  been  occupied  by  the  Feder- 
ates, some  sheets  of  paper  disdained  by  them,  and 
still  bearing  the  imprint  of  their  heels,  on  which 
our  beloved  brother  had  written  his  thoughts  and 
resolutions  up  to  the  eve  of  liis  solemn  profession. 

What  humility  in  the  reproaches  he  addresses  him- 
self regarding  the  six  months  tliat  have  jast  elapsed, 
and  during  which  he  was  the  admiration  of  those 
who  saw  him  daily  at  his  work  !  *'  Why,"  ho  says, 
"  did  I  not  regalate  and  arrange  my  life  better  while 
I  was  employed  in  the  ambulance  ?  .  .  . 
How  changeable  I  have  been  !  how  inconsistent  ! 
What  a  way  to  keep  my  resolutions  of  the  Third 
Year  !  Truly  I  am  ashumcd  and  almost  surprised." 

Then,  alluding  to  a  converstJtion  with  Father 
Ducoudrav,  who  seconds  his  love  of  humiliation  and 
confirms  him  in  the  lowly  opinion  he  has  of  him- 
scir :  "  The  disorder  of  my  actions  is  not,  as  good 
father  rector  says,  lach  of  order.  On  the  con- 
trar}',  all  in  my  life  has  its  order,  its  place,  hours, 
means.  Everything  is  foreseen  and  ordered  by  the 
rules,  the  employment,  the  superior,  or  election  ; 
when  all  that  is  accounted  for  there  remains  very 
little  else.  Mine  is  not  the  insubordination  and 
want  of  discipline  of  a  troop  of  mobiles  ;  it  is  the 
insubordination  and  irregularity  of  a  trained  army, 
and  disorder  is  introduced  into  my  life  not  through 
want  of  rule  or  of  knowledge,  but  by  weariness  of 
restraint,  and  by  the  indifference  and  inattention 
of  the  heads — that  is,  of  my  will."  Fortunately 
we  know  that  on  such  subjects  he  must  not  bo 
taken  at  his  word. 


44^ 


Alexis  Clcrc. 


■h.-^SL 


II 


I  will  copy  the  lasb  i)agc  inspired  by  the  medita- 
tion of  the  Two  Standards  : 

"  Our  Lord  presents  us  his  cross,  saying  :  In  hoc 
s{(j)io  vmccs — Under  this  standard  thou  shalt  con- 
quer.    We  may  imagine  him  discoursing  with  us  : 

"  '  That  contempt  which  thou  dost  hold  in  such 
horror,  hast  thou  not  merited  it  by  thy  sins  ?  And 
when  thou  didst  offer  to  suffer  everything  to  expi- 
ate them,  didst  thou  except  the  shame  which  is 
their  just  wages  ? 

"  '  What  is  due  thee  for  thy  bad  inclinations,  for 
thy  weaknesses  and  relaxations  ?  Where  are  thy 
merits  andthyyirtues,  thy  services,  thy  great  deeds? 
Wilt  thou  not  that  all  justice  be  accomplished  ?  Dost 
thou  not  need  to  be  thus  kept  in  thy  place  and  is 
it  not  necessary  to  master  thy  vanity  and  pride  ? 

"'Must  thou  not  abase  thyself  before  God? 
And  this  is  what  thou  dost  in  abasing  thyself  before 
the  outrage  he  sends  thee  by  men.  Dost  thou  not 
desire  to  render  him  a  worship  worthy  of  him  ? 
Do  something  great  for  his  honor.  Wilt  thou  not 
imitate  me  ?  It  is  my  voice  that  urges  theo,  it  is 
my  hand  that  presents  theo  the  cross  ;  I  have 
borne  it  before  thee,  and  I  did  so  to  encourage  theo 
and  sliow  theo  an  example.  I  give  it  to  thee ;  as  it 
is  my  triumph  and  my  glory,  it  will  also  be  thine. 
And  as  it  is  the  pledge  of  my  love  for  thee,  it  will 
be  the  pledge  of  thy  love  for  me.* 

"  0  crux  !     0  dona  orux ! "  * 


♦  This  is  the  salutation  the  Apostle  St.  Andrew  addressed  to 
tbe  cross  upon  which  he  was  about  to  die.  Father  Clerc  will 
repeat  these  words  at  Mazas  in  saluting  the  walls  of  his  cell. 


m 


His  Last  Voius. 


447 


medita- 

:  In  hoc 
alb  con- 
ith  US  : 
.  ill  such 
3  ?  And 
to  expi- 
wliicli  is 

tions,  for 

)  arc  thy 

at  deeds? 

ed?  Dost 

ice  and  is 

pride  ? 

)rc  God? 

lelf  before 
thou  not 
of  him  ? 
thou  not 

thee,  it  is 
I  have 

I  rage  tbco 
,hee ;  as  it 
he  thine. 


ee,  1 


it  will 


—ddressed  to 
jr  Clerc  will 
)f  his  cell. 


Animated  with  these  sentiments  of  profound  humi- 
lity and  of  passionate  love  for  Jesus  crucified,  he 
made  his  solemn  profession  on  Sunday,  the  19lh  of 
March  and  the  feast  of  St.  Joseph,  in  the  hands  of 
Father  Ducoudray,  rector  of  the  School  Saintc- 
Gcnevicve,  whose  blood  was  to  minglo  with  his  in 
the  immolation  of  the  24tli  of  May. 

The  Commune  was  already  on  foot.  The  pious 
friends  who  took  part  in  that  private  festival  cele- 
brated on  the  morning  of  Sunday,  Iiad  some  difficul- 
ty in  regaining  their  residence  through  the  barri- 
cades erected  on  the  sides  of  the  hill  Sainte-Gene- 
vievo  to  cut  off  the  approaches  of  the  Pantheon  to 
the  regular  troops.  The  evening  before,  the  assas- 
sins of  Generals  Lecomte  and  Clement  Thomas 
had  preluded  in  the  Rue  des  Hosiers  the  summary 
executions  of  La  Roquette  and  the  Rue  Ilaxo. 

Notwithstanding  the  excitement  in  the  streets 
and  each  day's  uncertainty  of  the  morrow,  the 
fervent  religious  set  himself  to  work  to  prepare  the 
course  of  special  mathematics  with  which  he  had 
been  charged.  After  various  arrangements,  which 
came  to  naught,  it  was  decided  that  the  opening  of 
the  classes  prevented  by  the  insurrection  should 
take  place  April  12,  in  the  country  house  of  Athis. 
Father  Clerc,  who  remained  in  Paris  until  ho 
should  be  nec^  %  argued  ill  from  what  ho  saw 
around  him. :  the  lack  of  discipline  of  the  troops, 
of  which  ho  had  been  so  often  a  witness  during  the 
siege ;  the  weakness  of  the  government  that  at  such 
a  moment  doiiUed  its  oiun  right ;  the  demoraliza- 
tion, the  want  of  harmony  and  of  conviction  and 


li 


448  Alexis  Clcrc, 


energy  among  npriglit  men,  all  saddened  him  pro- 
foundly, and  he  was  among  those  who  were  not 
deceived  about  the  gravity  of  the  evil  which  was 
upon  us  long  before  it  burst  out  in  the  disorganiza- 
tion of  the  public  authority.  lie  was  sometimes 
heard  to  say  :  *•'  Morianmr  m  simjjUcitate  nostra — 
Let  us  die  in  our  simplicity.  .  .  .  There  is  nothing 
left  but  to  die;  tlierc  is  no  longer  any  room  for 
honest  people  here  below."  The  playful  tone  in 
whicli  ho  spoke  these  words  in  nowiso  concealed 
their  bitterness. 

Towards  the  end  of  the  month  a  devoted  lady, 
who  had  been  unable  to  assist  at  the  ceremony  of 
the  19th,  came  to  i)ay  him  a  visit  of  apology  and 
politeness.  As  she  had  had  to  cross  several  bar- 
ricades to  reach  the  house,  she  atked  him  :  '*  Fa- 
ther, do  you  not  fear  for  your  houses  and  your 
persons  in  Paris?"  '^Yes,  indeed,  madame,"  he 
I  replied  ;  "  I  fear  as  much  more  as  Paris  is  m.oro 

guilty  ;  it-  needs  to  be  purified  by  blood.  ...  Al- 
mighty God  fehould  take  the  blood  of  forty  of  us." 

He  did  not  bargain,  as  is  plain  to  see,  and  ho 
supposed  that  others  had  the  same  ardor  for  sacri- 
fice with  which  ho  was  burning.  Perhaps  God 
took  only  choice  victims,  so  as  to  reduce  the  number 
without  diminishing  the  value  of  the  holocaust. 
Who  knows  ?  .  .  . 

a  T^o  days  before  his  imprisonment,"  says  one  of 
his  colleagues  of  the  School  Sainte-Genevieve, ''I 
was  struck  by  his  persistence  in  keeping  in  his 
room,  and  my  impression  was  that  foreseeing  his 
life  v/as  in  danger,  he  congratulated  himself  on 


His  Last  Vozus. 


449 


having  it  to  offer  to  God.  I  bogged  him  to  take 
precautions ;  his  reply  gave  mc  reason  to  believe 
that  he  desired  to  make  the  sacrifice  of  his  life." 

In  fact,  he  had  always  had  that  desire,  perhaps 
even  with  the  presentiment  of  the  kind  of  death 
that  was  reserved  for  him. 

Enumerating  all  that  Ave  ought  to  cheerfully  ac- 
cept iu  order  to  correspond  to  the  genuine  military 
spirit  of  the  Society  of  Jesus,  he  wrote  : 

"A  dangerous  post  .  .  .  wearisome— brilliant 
.  .  .  obscure— bullets  .  .  .  sickness.'' 

And  he  was  persuaded  that  God  would  spare  him 
the  trial  of  sickness. 

There  remained,  then,  the  bullets.  But  at  the 
moment  when  he  threw  those  words  on  paper  (No- 
vember, 18G9)  who  could  have  anticipated  the  Com- 
mune of  1871  and  the  fusillade  of  La  Eoquette  ? 


CHAPTER  XV. 


FATHER  CLEUC     PRISONER    AND    VICTIM    FOR   LOVE  OF  JESUS 
CHRIST— MAZAS— LA  ROQUETTE. 

"We  have  now  reached  the  part  of  this  cherished 
and  sacred  task  where  we  have  hefore  us  a  guide 
whose  authority  is  great,  and  whom  we  shall  follow 
step  by  step.  "Who  is  not  acquainted  with  the 
*'Acts  of  the  Captivity  and  Death  of  Fathers 
Olivainfc,  Ducoudray,  Caubert,  Clerc,  and  De 
Bengy,"  by  Father  Armand  do  Ponlevoy  ?  One 
cannot  read  those  truthful  pages,  written  by  the 
sympathetic  witness  of  a  bloody  immolation,  with- 
out thinking  of  the  era  of  the  persecutions  and 
of  the  catacombs.  There  are  found  the  most  of 
the  letters  Father  Clcrc  wrote  in  the  confine- 
ment of  the  Concierge rie  and  Mazas  ;  I  shall 
only  need  to  reproduce  them.  Still,  having  to 
occupy  himself  with  the  five  hostages  at  once, 
Father  de  Ponlevoy  has  neglected  several  docu- 
ments of  real  interest,  but  which  would  have 
made  his  remarkably  clear  narration  too  com- 
plicated. So  he  has  left  me  something  to  glean. 
I  gladly  gather  up  a  few  ears,  which  will  not  be  the 
least  ornament  of  my  sheaf. 

Father  de  Ponlevoy  observed  everything  from 
Versailles,  where  the  unanimous  advice  of  his  con- 
sultcrs  had  fixed  him  so  that  he  might  continue  to 

450 


K  OF  JESUa 

clierishcd 
us  a  guide 
iiall  follow 
I  witli  the 
f  Fathers 
.    and    De 


i^oy 


One 


ten  by  the 
,tion,  with- 
utions  and 
he  most  of 
confinc- 
;   I  shall 
having  to 
at   once, 
eral   docu- 
fvould   have 
too   com- 
ng  to  glean. 
1  not  be  the 


le 


!S 


1 


^thing  from 
e  of  his  con- 
i  continue  to 


Prisoner  and  Victim  for  Love  of  Jesus.     45 1 

correspond  with  all  the  religious  of  whom  he  wjis 
superior.  It  was  to  Versailles  that  Fathers  Oliv- 
aiut  and  Ducoudray,  and  the  other  hostages,  wrote 
to  him  from  their  prison.  He  replied,  but  his  let- 
ters never  reached  them.  What  he  suffered  dur- 
ing that  time  is  unutterable.  Tlie  wounds  of  Jiia 
heart  bled  for  three  years  longer,  and  then  he  died, 
a  \ictim  of  his  boundless  devotcdncss  and  his  pa- 
ternal anguish,  alas  !  too  often  renewed. 

Here,  in  all  their  simplicity,  are  the  incidents 
just  as  he  presents  them  in  the  *'  Acts."  I  ahridge  his 
recital  : 

After  twelve  o'clock  on  the  night  of  the  Monday 
in  Holy  Week,  that  is,  in  the  first  hour  of  Holy 
Tuesday,  April  4,  the  School  Sainte-Genevieve  is 
completely  surrounded  by  a  battalion  of  National 
Guards  armed  to  the  teeth.  They  knock  with  re- 
doubled blows  at  the  door  of  No.  18.  The  brother 
porter  gets  up  and  says  that  he  will  go  for  the  keys, 
deposited,  as  customary,  in  the  father  rector's 
room  ;  the  door  will  then  be  opened  in  a  moment. 
That  moment  appears  long  to  our  braves  ;  the 
bugle  sounds  three  times  by  way  of  summons,  and 
a  general  discharge  upon  all  the  windows  alarms 
the  neighborhood.  Father  Ducoudray  very  soon 
untlerstood  that  all  protest  was  useless  ;  his  per- 
fectly cool  and  dignified  manner  caused  tliose  mis- 
creants to  exclaim  :  '*  What  a  man  !  and  what 
energy  of  character  ! "  During  the  night  the  house 
was  thoroughly  ransacked.  They  pretended  they 
were  searching  for  arms  ;  they  found  none.  Their 
especial  desire  was  the  cash-box ;  it  had  been  drain- 


Ili' 


452 


Ah'. vis  Clcrc, 


C(l  by  tlio  expenses  of  tho  siege.  Then  they  set 
about  securing  persons  whom  the}  retained  as  lios- 
lages  ;  and  that  was  *ho  recompense  of  the  care  be- 
stowed for  six  months  on  tho  wounded  in  the  am- 
bulance of  the  scliool. 

At  five  o'clock  tho  bugle  gives  tho  signal  of  de- 
parture for  tho  Prefecture  of  Police,  and  tlic  pris- 
oners file  olf  between  two  lines  of  National  Guards. 
At  their  head  and  a  little  distance  from  the  others 
walks  the  father  rector;  then  follow  Fathers  Fer- 
dinand Billot,*  Emilo  Chauveau,  Alexis  Clerc, 
Anatolo  de  Bengy,  Jean  Bellanger,  Theodore  de 
Regnon,  and  Jeau  Tanguy,  and  Brothers  Benoifc 
Darras,  Gabriel  Dedebat,  Rene  Piton,  Pierre  Lc 
Fallier,  and  seven  domestics.  On  the  top  of  the 
bridge  Saint  Michel,  near  the  entrance  to  the  city, 
Father  Diicoudray  turns,  and  with  a  radiant  look 
says  to  Father  Chauveau,  who  is  nearest  to  him : 
**Ah!  well,  llant  gaudentcs ;  is  it  not  so?" 
"  AVhat  did  he  say  to  you  ?  "  tho  uneasy  guards  ask 
Father  Chauveau.  Tho  latter  repeats  the  suspect- 
ed phrase.  "God  knows  liow  much  the  guards 
understood  of  it,"  adds  the  historian.  True  imita- 
tors of  the  apostles,  they  indeed  went    .     .     .     re- 


*  Father  Billot  has  just  been  taken  from  tho  School  Sainte- 
Genevieve  after  more  than  twenty  years  of  professorship.  Ho 
is  a  great  loss.  He  was  hifjhly  esteemed  by  the  illustrious 
Cauchy,  his  first  teacher,  who  evf'U  thought  of  bequeathing 
him  his  unpublished  works,  some  of  which  needed  a  continua- 
tor  rather  than  an  editor.  Endowed  with  superior  penetra- 
tion and  possessing  extensive  learning  of  more  than  one  sort, 
he  could  with  honor  have  filled  a  chair  of  theology.  He  carries 
with  him  the  regrets  of  a  crowd  of  young  men  whose  hearts 
he  won  by  his  gentle  virtue,  while  by  his  devotedness  ho 
facilitated  their  admission  to  the  Polytechnic  School. 


Prisoner  and  Vict wi  for  Love  of  Jesus,     453 


1  tlicy  set 
icd  as  hos- 
iie  care  be- 
lli tlic  iim- 

gnal  of  cle- 
id  tlio  pris- 
nil  Guards. 
:  the  others 
'atbers  Fer- 
Icxis   Clcrc, 
'hcodoro  de 
hers  Benoit 
,  Pierre  Le 
top  of  the 
s  to  the  city, 
adiant  look 
■est  to  him: 
not    so  ?  " 
y  guards  ask 
the  suspect- 
the  guards 
True  imita- 
.     .    rc- 


School  Sainte- 
ofessorship.  Ho 
the  illustrious 
o£  bequeathing 
ided  a  continiia- 
iperior  penetra- 
e  than  one  sort, 
ogy.  He  carries 
jii  whose  hearts 
devotedness  uo 
School. 


joiciufj  tluit  llinj  iccre  acroinifcd  vorthy  to  snffer 
reproach  for  the  name  of  Jesus"  (Acts  v.  41). 

Arrived  at  the  Prefecture  of  Police,  the  bugles 
sound  loudly  to  announce  the  success  of  the  expe- 
dition and  the  ricli  prize  that  has  been  secured.  I 
spare  tlic  reader  tlic  gross  abuse  that  -svelcomes  the 
captives,  and  the  hasty  interrogatory  to  which 
Father  Ducoudray  is  put.  The  father  rector  is 
shut  up  alone  in  a  cell  of  the  Conciergerie;  the 
otliers  are  led  to  the  Prison  du  Depot,  and  crowded 
v/ilh  thirty  men  into  a  large  room  used  hitherto 
for  the  disreputable  women  the  police  pick  up  at 
night  in  the  gutters  of  the  capital. 

When  he  found  himself  thus  separated  from  the 
rest,  Father  Diicoudray,  through  religious  spirit 
and  love  of  the  common  life,  asked  and  obtained 
the  privilege  of  having  at  least  one  of  his  brethren 
for  a  companion.  lie  named  Father  Alexis  Clerc, 
who  gladly  responded  to  that  call  which  summoned 
liim  to  death.  As  soon  as  ihey  were  together  they 
organized  a  little  supply  service  in  favor  of  their 
brothers,  deprived  like  themselves  of  the  most  nec- 
essary articles,  and  each  of  them  despatched  notes, 
wliich  reached  their  destination,  and  on  which  may 
still  be  seen  the  stamp  and  endorsement  of  the 
prison  officers.  Father  Clerc  wrote  to  his  ever-dc- 
vo;ed  brother,  and  was  not  long  in  receiving,  ac- 
cording to  his  request,  towels,  handkerchiefs,  and 
wrought-iron  spoons,  the  apparition  of  all  which 
caused  a  sudden  flash  of  joy  in  the  common  hall. 
"Cleanliness  being  a  great  consolation  to  a  pris- 
oner," Father  Clerc  hastened  to  thank  his  sister- 


1  'll. 


iti 


454 


A /ex is  Clcrc, 


I 

I 
I 


imi 


i  i'i 


ill-law,  who  ill  the  absence  of  hsr  hnsband  hiul 
provided  everything  ;  liis  religious  brethren  blessed 
the  attentive  charity  which  procured  them  those 
humble  gifts  and  doubled  their  value. 

*'A  j'lilor  of  the  Depot  of  the  Prefecture, 
charged  witli  visiting  the  two  recluses  in  their 
common  cell,  gave  these  details  of  how  they  lived 
together  :  *They  want  for  nothing,  are  gay  and 
appear  very  happy,  and  pray  together  almost  con- 
tinually/ Father  Ducoudray  had  frequently  ex- 
pressed this  wish  to  one  of  his  most  intimate  con- 
fidants: *  Ah  !  if  you  and  I  could  ascend  some 
mountain  with  our  crucifix,  we  would  know  how 
to  pray  to  God  ! '    The  wish  was  granted."  * 

But  that  prison  was  too  good  for  our  dear  cap- 
tives, who  were  able  therein  to  still  find  a  reflection 
of  the  religious  life  and  to  breathe  the  perfume  of 
fraternal  charity  ;  con^cqaently  they  only  passed 
through  it.  Thursday  vcning,  April  G,  a  prison 
carriage,  divided  into  compartments  carefully 
closed  and  separated  one  from  another,  bore  them 
and  his  Grace  the  Archbishop  of  Paris  and  Presi- 
dent Bonjean  from  oho  Conciergerio  to  Mazas. 
Father  de  Bc'igv,  brought  from  the  common  hall, 
was  also  a  part  of  the  load,  and  a  cell  awaited  him 
in  the  prison  of  Mazas.  Later  (April  13)  the  same 
prison  received  Father  Olivaint  and  Father  Cau- 
bert,  arrested  in  our  house  of  the  Rue  de  Sevres  on 
the  evening  of  April  'i.    April  18  two  other  Jesuits 

*  "Acts  of  the  Captivity  and  Death  of  tho  Rev.  Frs.  P.  Oli- 
vaint, L.  Ducoudray,  J.  Caut)crt,  A.  Clerc,  and  A.  de  Bengy," 
by  Fr.  A.  do  Ponlevoy,  eleventh  edition,  page  58.  Our  refer- 
ences are  always  to  this  edition. 


Prisoner  and  Victim  for  Love  of  Jesus.    45  5 


•en  blessed 
hem  tliosc 

Prefecture, 
s  ill   Uieir 
they  lived 
le  gay  and 
almost  con- 
qucntly  cx- 
liimatc  con- 
.scend  some 
.  know  liow 

,ed."  * 

ir  dear  cap- 
d  a  reflection 
3  perfume  of 
only  passed 
G,  a  prison 
t3    carefully 
r,  bore  tbcm 
IS  and  Presi- 
c  to  Mazas. 
[onimon  hall, 
awaited  him 
1 13)  the  same 
leather  Cau- 
de  Sevres  on 
[other  Jesuits 

«lev.  Frs.  P.  Oli- 
Id  A.  de  Bengy, 
58.    Ourre£ei- 


^ 


were  likewise  confined  at  Mazas,  but  they  escaped 
death.  As  to  the  sixteen  inmates  of  Ihc  School 
Sainte-Gcnevievo,  father?,  brothers,  and  servants, 
who  were  left  in  the  common  hall  of  the  Concicr- 
gerie,  for  some  time  their  fate  was  uncertain. 
Then  there  was  a  moment  of  indulgence  at  the 
Hotel  de  Ville,  under  the  influence  of  v/hich  they 
were  released,  April  12,  after  nine  days  of  im- 
prisonment. 

Behold,  then.  Father  Clerc  entirely  se^iarated 
from  his  brethren  and  shut  up  in  his  narrow  cell 
of  the  prison  Oi.  Mazas  !  Assuredly  the  habitation 
is  not  a  cheerful  one.  It  begins  to  bo  pretty  well 
known,  so  many  honest;  people  had,  thanks  to  the 
Commune,  leisure  to  make  a  personal  study  of  it, 
and  have  since  published  exact  descriptions.  It  is 
certain,  however,  that  our  dear  prisoner  did  not 
there  lose  the  joy  of  his  soul ;  on  the  contrary,  he 
experienced  an  unutterable  dilatation  of  heart.  He 
saw  our  Lord's  cross  glowing  upon  those  naked 
and  cold  walls,  and  he  cried  out  as  he  entered,  0 
bona  Cnixf 

Then  he  remembered  that  there,  as  well  as  in  Lis 
cell  of  the  Kue  Lhomond,  he  had  his  duty  to  fuHil. 
He  was  professor  of  special  mathematics,  and  the 
classes  were  to  be  reopened  at  the  country  house  of 
Athis.  Will  he  ever  rejoin  them  ?  It  is  very 
doubtful ;  but  no  matter,  his  duty  for  the  moment 
is  to  prepare  his  course,  and  forthwith  he  sets  him- 
self to  the  work.  In  the  first  letter  he  addresses 
to  his  brother  Julos  he  asks  not  only  for  a  Bible 
and  a  breviary,  but  also  for  books  of  analytic  geu- 


.1" 


Mn 


456 


Alexis  Clerc. 


mcirv,  and  asks  for  them  ^villi  an  carTicstncss  as 
muck  more  meritorious  as  tbose  subjects  with 
which  he  has  been  surfeited  have  now  less  attrac- 
tion for  liim.  One  of  his  religious  brothers,  "who 
knew  him  well,  has  gone  so  far  as  to  say  that  that 
anticipatory  preparation  of  his  classes  in  his  cell  at 
Mazas  was  neither  more  nor  less  than  a  heroic  act. 
"  I  am  in  good  health,"  he  remarks  in  concluding 
his  letter,  ''am  quite  contented,  and,  with  those 
books,  shall  indefinitely  bid  defiance  to  the  ennui 
which  has  not  yet  presented  itself."  Imagine,  if 
you  can,  a  man  more  easily  contented. 

The  feast  of  Easter  (April  9)  comes,  and  the 
poor  prisoner's  most  sensible  privations  are  not 
tliose  confinement  inflicts  upon  nature.  But  the 
''  Alleluia  "  which  sings  Christ's  victory  over  death 
does  not  the  less  resound  in  the  depths  of  his  heart, 
and,  borrowing  the  language  of  the  niartyrology 
for  the  day,  he  writes  to  his  beloved  brother  : 

*'  My  Dear  Jules  :  To-day  is  the  feast  of  feasts, 
the  Christian  Passover,  the  day  the  Lord  has 
made  !  For  us  there  was  neither  Mass  to  say  nor 
to  hear,  but  there  was  joy  and  peace  in  the  Lord. 

*' As  the  good  things  you  have  sent  are  much 
more  plentiful  than  I  need,  your  intention  of  com- 
ing to  the  assistance  of  my  companions  in  captivity 
is  manifest  to  me,  and,  if  I  am  happy  to  express 
my  gratitude  for  your  fraternal  friendship,  I  am 
far  more  so  to  thank  you  for  your  charity ;  it  is 
the  most  excellent  of  all  the  virtues,  and  the  one 
which  will  be  replaced  by  nothing  more  excellent 
even  in  heaven.     Therefore  I  not  only  thank  you, 


Prisoner  and  'Viciiiu  for  Love  of  fczus.     437 


cstncss  us 
ccts   witli 
;ss  attrac- 
A\ers,  wlio 
J  that  that 
his  cell  at 
heroic  act. 
concluding 
with  those 
0  tho  ennui 
Imagine,  if 

cs,  and  the 
)ns   arc  not 
•c.     But  the 
y  over  death 
o£  his  heart, 
martyrology 
jother  : 
\cid  offcasls, 
\i6   Lord  A^'-^ 
lss  to  say  nor 
11  tho  Lord. 
Lt  are  rcucli 
[ition  of  com- 
s  in  captivity 
,py  to  express 
:udship,  I  ^^ 
charity ;  it  i^ 
and  the  one 
Lore  cxcclleut 
ly  thank  you, 


but  I  congratulate  you,  because  I  know  that  God 
will  not  leave  you  without  a  reward  for  your  zeal 
in  providing  for  the  wants  of  those  who  suffer  for 
his  name. 

"  It  is  to  me  a  new  and  lively  consolation  to  sec 
you  associated  with  our  tribulation.  I  am  not  only 
happy  and  proud  of  it  on  my  own  account,  but 
abo  en  yours  ;  and  I  hope  that  it  is  for  you  and 
your  family  the  first  of  a  series  of  graces  more  abun- 
dant than  ever,  which  God  will  bestow  upon  you. 

'''  Do  not  worry  about  me  any  longer  ;  place  your 
family  in  safety — that  is  the  most  urgent  duty. 
Besides,  I  have  no  want  to  make  known  to  you.  I 
have  sufficient  linen,  and  I  have  money  to  procure 
me  food. 

"  This  morning  I  was  ready  to  take  my  break- 
fast ;  your  packages  arrived  just  in  time  ;  I  did 
lionor  to  all  of  them.  That  oi:)portuno  conjunc- 
ture is  one  of  the  thousand  delicacies  of  the  provi- 
dence of  our  Father  who  is  in  Heaven.  May  he  bo 
blessed  for  it,  and  may  tho  instrument  ho  has 
chosen  as  tho  channel  of  his  beueQts  to  me  be 
likewise  blessed  !  I  am  unwilling  to  ask  of  the 
prefecture  permission  to  take  books  to  my  cell, 
not  through  fear  of  a  refusal,  nor  to  spare  myself 
tlie  trouble  of  being  grateful,  but  for  better  and 
higher  reasons.  Besides,  with  the  Bible  I  have  the 
wherewithal  to  nourish  my  soul  for  a  longer  time 
than  I  shall  be  in  jirison,  even  though  I  should 
stay  till  I  die  of  oid  age.  I  hope  that  Charles, 
who  teaches  me  to  meet  misfortune  patiently,  will 
at  last  learn  of  me  to  bear  it  with  our  Lord  ;    he 


^ 

i,i! 


i,ii: 


458 


Alexis  Chrc. 


It 


"would  then  find   the  Eccrefc  of  siilicring  joyfully 
and  with  fruit."  ^= 

After  this  letter  there  is  a  long  silence,  and  it  is 
not  till  fifteen  days  la^er  (Saturday,  April  2^)  that 
Father  Clerc  succeeds  in  having  the  following  lines 
reach  his  brother.  They  issue  from  a  prison  si- 
lent as  the  tomb,  and  whoso  echoes  are  awakened 
only  by  the  cannonaJe  :  "  The  cannon  arc  heard 
thundering  night  and  day  ;  so  the  forts  are  being 
disputed,  and  we,  after  the  Prussians,  are  besieging 
Paris ;  but  the  Prussians  would  have  had  to  work 
a  good  while  yet  to  take  it  by  main  force.  I  con- 
clude from  this — and  you  see  that  my  sources  of 
information  are  not  numerous — I  conclude,  never- 
tlieless,  that  the  siege  and  my  detention  will  not 
finish  to-morrow.  I  have  amusement  for  some 
days  still  in  the  book  you  gave  me,  but  I  would 
like  to  have  another." 

Here  follows  a  new  request  for  mathematical 
works.  But  these  will  not  suffice  to  fill  up  the 
leisure  that  may  yet  be  prolonged  several  weeks. 
"  If  you  can  get  me  the  *  Theological  Sumnaa  of 
St.  Thomas,'"  he  adds,  *'I  shall  be  supplied  for  a 
long  time."  So  in  his  prison  ho  means  to  resume 
his  habits  of  labor,  and  renew  that  assiduous  in- 
tercourse with  St.  Thomas  which,  in  his  life  as  an 
officer,  even  distant  expeditions  did  not  interrupt. 
The  letter  concludes  with  these  words : 


*  Mr.  Charles  Clerc  is  an  elder  brother,  who  has  spent  a  great 
part  of  his  life  in  England,  and  with  whom  our  readers  hnve 
not  yefc  had  the  opportU"icy  of  becoming  acquainted.  We 
are  iiappy  to  hero  offer  him  the  homage  of  our  respectful  syai- 
patln*. 


Prisoner  and  Victim  for  Love  of  Jesus.     459 


joyfully 

and  it  is 
1  22)  lliat 
iwiug  li^cs 
prison  si- 
awakened 
I  arc  heard 
3  are  being 
,'e  besieging 
ad  to  work 
:ce.    I  con- 
j  sources  of 
lude,  never- 
ion  will  not 
lit  for  some 
but  I  would 

natbematical 
0  fill  up  tae 
3Ycral  weeks, 
il  Summa  of 
lupplied  for  a 
Ins  to  resume 
jassiduous  in- 
jliis  life  as  an 
[lot  interrupt. 

s: 

has  spent  a  great 

mr  readers  b^^e 

acquainted.      ^^J 

r  respectful  syai- 


"  Have  you  not  answered  me  ?  Has  your  rejily 
to  my  last  letter  not  been  given  mo  ?  I  know  no- 
thing about  it.  .  Thoy  talk  of  the  cloister  of  con- 
vents of  nuns  ;  this  of  Mazas  is  not  to  be  dis- 
dained. 

*'  I  bog  you  not  to  compromise  yourself  in  any- 
thing for  me  ;  what  I  ask  you  for  is  of  abundance 
and  not  of  necessity.  So  do  not  go  and  get  your- 
self incarcerated  for  the  sake  of  helping  me  ;  that 
would  serve  nobody,  and  you  are  not  as  well  situ- 
ated as  I  am  to  take  it  patiently." 

April  25  he  writes  again  in  a  tone  of  affectionate 
reproach:  "You  might  perhaps  not  leave  me  in 
such  ignorance.  You  should  not  conspire  with 
the  whole  system  of  prison  cells  to  preserve  silence 
around  me.  Since  I  know  absolutely  nothing  of 
what  is  going  on  outside,  it  is  impossible  for  me 
to  know  less ;  and  though  one  of  your  letters  should 
not  reach  me,  or  should  be  mutilated,  it  would 
still  inform  me  of  as  much  as  if  you  had  written 
nothing  in  it. 

"For  instance,  I  would  like  to  know  if  our  com- 
panions of  the  Conciergerie  have  been  released  ;  if 
other  fathers  have  been  arrested  and  their  houses 
pillaged  j  if  our  Preparatory  School  has  opened 
somewhere ;  if  the  little  boys  are  still  at  the  college. 
And  I  do  not  think  I  will  be  prevented  from 
learning  this.    It  is  what  interests  me  most. 

"  Perhaps  also  you  may  be  able  to  learn  if  it  is 
a  determined  thing  that,  contrary  to  the  usage  of 
the  prison,  we  are  to  see  nobody,  and  finally  if 
they  think  of  taking  any  steps  against  us." 


460 


Alexis  Clerc, 


1$: 


Insistin/y  upon  liis  requests  for  books — requests 
prompted  by  tlio  rather  long  period  that  probably 
remains  for  him  to  spend  in  solitude — he  says : 
"The  *Siimma'  of  St.  Thomas  is  a  book  which 
you  will  have  to  borrow — in  ordinary  times  I  could 
easily  tell  you  where,  but  now  I  do  not  know. 
Every  priest  who  is  a  little  learned  or  studious  cer- 
tainly has  it  in  his  library.  Every  library  that  is 
not  exclusively  frivolous  contains  it  likewise,  and  a 
librarian  who  is  a  little  obliging  would  lend  it  to 
you  for  a  poor  prisoner. 

''I  am  in  want  of  nothing,  unless  it  be  that, 
the  i^rison  regulations  no  longer  allowing  a  chap- 
lain, we  have  neither  Mass  nor  sacraments.  I  am 
sure  prisoners  never  desired  them  so  much. 

"  I  pray  to  God,  I  study,  I  read,  I  write  a  little, 
and  I  find  that  time  passes  quickly  oven  at  Mazas. 

"  There  truly  are  such  things  as  presentiments;  I 
believe  I  never  travelled  on  the  Vincennes  rail- 
road without  looking  at  this  prison  and  saying  to 
myself  that  perhaps  I  would  bo  its  inmate  some 
day.  When  the  Prison  de  la  Sante  was  building, 
I  made  a  careful  visit  of  it,  and  had  the  same  idea 
constantly  in  my  mind.  But,  not  to  exaggerate 
my  presentiments,  I  should  add  that  I  imagined 
my  incarceration  would  be  brought  about  by  the 
regular  and  official  means  of  a  certain  Monsieur 
Bonjean,  a  magistrate  of  the  old  Parliaments, 
while  the  fact  is  that  that  same  poor  Monsieur 
Bonjean  is  less  astonished  to  find  himself  in  prison 
than  to  be  there  with  the  Jesuits.  0  Fortune  !  I 
may  also  say,  0  Commune  !  behold  thy  freaks." 


Prisoner  and  Victim  for  Love  of  Jesus,     461 


requests 
probably 
he  says: 
3k  ^Yllicll 
s  I  could 
)t  know, 
lious  cer- 
ry  that  is 
'ise,  and  a 
lend  it  to 

t  be  tbat, 
ig  a  chap- 
its.  I  am 
ch. 

ite  a  little, 
at  Mazas. 
.timents;  I 
icnnes  rail- 
saying  to 
.mate  some 
,s  building, 
same  idea 
exaggerate 

I  imagined 
lOut  by  the 

II  Monsieur 
'arliaments, 
r  Monsieur 

|elf  in  prison 
I^ortune  1  I 
iv  freaks." 


In  truth  the  meeting  was  a  singular  one,  and  M. 
Bon  jean  had  doubtless  no  more  anticipated  it  than 
Father  Clerc.  And  at  La  Eoquette  how  much 
cause  that  magistrate  had  to  congratulate  himself 
upon  a  proximity  which  permitted  him  to  open 
his  soul  to  the  very  Jesuit  who,  with  good  reason, 
was  astonished  at  having  him  for  a  companion  in 
captivity  ! 

Fatlicr  Clerc  soon  received  the  details  he  was 
anxious  for  regarding  the  fate  of  his  confreres  and 
of  the  Jesuit  establishments  ;  and  amidst  so  much 
bitterness  he  experienced  some  consolation  in 
learning  that  the  educational  works  which  were 
particularly  dear  to  him  were  being  continued  as 
completely  as  possible,  in  spite  of  the  horiiblo 
struggle  that  was  plunging  Paris  in  fire  and  blood. 
The  pupils  of  the  School  Sainte-Genevievc  were  re- 
assembled at  Athis,  those  of  Vaugirard  at  Saint- 
Germain-en-Laye,  and  his  brother  Jules  had  a 
hand  in  the  latter  installation.  Thanks  to  a  species 
of  salvage  organized  through  his  efforts,  the  fathers 
were  able  to  remove  from  the  College  of  Vaugi. 
rard,  as  from  a  vessel  stranded  on  the  coast,  a  por- 
tion of  the  school  properties  they  had  the  most 
need  of  at  Saint-Germain,  and  which  otherwise 
would  have  been  the  prey  of  the  Commune.  The 
two  nephews  of  the  prisoner  of  Mazas,  Alexis  and 
Henri  Clerc,  young  pupils  of  Vaugirard,  con- 
tinued their  studies  at  Saint-Germain,  where  they 
soon  received  the  most  touching  tokens  of  their 
uncle's  affection. 

''Well  and  good,"  he  replies,  after  having  re- 


4^2 


Alexis  CI  ere. 


Jll 


m 


B'lt 


ceived  this  news  (letter  of  April  28) ;  ''tliat  is  the 
way  to  write.  In  two  words  you  inform  mo  of 
everything  that  most  interests  me.  Now  my  igno- 
rance of  all  that  is  transpiring  is  much  less  painful. 

"  Take  no  more  steps  to  see  me,  for  I  fear  these 
will  draw  something  disagreeable  upon  you,  and  I 
have  no  hope  of  their  being  successful.  This  door 
■will  be  opened  by  a  hand  other  than  yours,  and  if 
it  does  not  open  at  all  we  shall  know  how  to  resign 
ourselves. 

"  You  will  cheerfully  accept  the  compliments 
■which  are  paid  you  for  me.  I  am  happy  and  proud 
to  suffer  something  for  the  name  I  bear.  You 
are  sufficiently  aware  that  the  blow  did  not  sur- 
prise me,  that  I  did  not  seek  to  avoid  it,  and  that 
I  desire  to  support  it. 

'^I  do  not  hope  for  the  deliverance  of  which  you 
speak,  and  I  do  not  know  that  we  need  apprehend 
anything  from  fear,  anger,  or  their  necessity  of 
further  committing  themselves.  The  less  I  am 
master  of  myself,  the  more  I  am  in  the  hands  of 
God  ;  what  he  decrees  will  come  to  pass,  and  he 
will  enable  me  to  do  what  he  wills  that  I  shoukl. 
Omnia  possum  in  eo  qui  me  confortat — I  can  do  all 
things  in  Him  who  strengthens  me." 

Eight  days  later  he  at  last  received  a  visit  from 
his  brother.  Jules  did  not  come  alone  ;  a  cou- 
rageous woman,  who  had  already  given  j^roof  of 
devotedness  at  the  ambulance  of  Yaugirard,  having 
obtained  a  permit  to  see  the  prisoner  through  the 
grates  of  Mazas,  had  brought  Mr.  Jules  Clcrc  as 
an  escort. 


Prisoner  and  Victim  for  Love  of  Jesus.     463 


at  is  ibe 
n  mc  of 
my  igno- 
,  painful, 
ear  these 
ou,  and  I 
riiis  door 
rs,  and  if 
to  resign 

npliments 
and  proud 
jar.  You 
a  not  Eur- 
:,  and  that 

which  you 
apprehend 
lecessity  of 
less  I  am 
e  hands  of 
.ss,  and  he 
t  I  shoulO. 
|l  can  do  all 

visit  from 
me  ;  a  cou- 
kn  proof  of 
jard,  having 
through  the 
les  Clerc  as 


The  conversation  was  as  gay  as  it  could  have 
been  in  tlie  parlor  of  Vaugirard  or  of  the  School 
Sainte-Genovievc.  It  was  marked  by  an  incident 
which,  to  borrow  the  expression  of  Faf^  or  dc 
Ponlevoy,  did  not  lack  a  chivalric  stamp.  Tlie  in- 
terview having  been  procured,  by  grac:  of  ncjiotism, 
through  the  credit  of  a  high  dignitary  of  the  Com- 
mune, .Father  Clerc  was  told  that  that  powerful 
personage  would  deign  to  come  himself  to  Mazas 
to  propose  to  Father  Clerc  to  include  him  in  a 
negotiation  of  exchange  of  prisoners.  "But  at 
the  mere  idea  of  such  a  treaty  the  former  naval 
officer,  who  was  a  judge  of  honor,  sprang  from  his 
chair.  *  Be  calm,  we  bog  you,'  the  visitors  said  to 
him,  '  and  especially  if  the  offer  is  made  you  do 
not  compromise  yourself;  some  misfortune  will 
befall  you  if  you  do.'  *AVhat  misfortune  ?  What 
have  I  to  fear  ?  We  cannot  bo  worse  off  than  at 
the  Conciergerie  and  at  Mazas.'  '  I  beg  your  par- 
don, father,  I  beg  your  pardon.  .  .  .  You  mis- 
take ;  worse  can  befall  you.'  *  Ah  ! '  he  cried  with 
a  start,  *  then  we  should  be  shot  !  What  good 
fortune  I  .  .  .  Straight  to  Paradise  ! '  And  he 
looked  radiant,  with  his  arms  extended  and  his 
eyes  raised  to  heaven." 

He  was  delighted  to  learn  that  the  establishments 
of  the  Eue  Lhomond  and  the  Rue  Vaugirard  were 
successfully  reorganized  at  Athis  and  Saint-Ger- 
main, and  that  the  Commune  had  released,  among 
others,  tv/o  of  his  confreres  who  were  absolutely 
necessary  for  the  special  coiirsrs  which,  he  thought, 
could  very  well  do  without  him  for  sometime  yet. 


464 


Ah'.vis  CIcrc. 


The  next  day  ho  wrote  to  liis  brollier  :  *'  I  am 
truly  joyful  since  yestcrduy.  Tlie  news  you  brouglit 
me  was  so  good,  and  the  evil  might  bo  much 
fxreatcr.  The  upshot  of  the  matter  is  our  works 
arc  impeded,  but  we  shall  not  be  altogether  pre- 
vented from  continuing  them.  Yet  what  gives 
ir.  othe  most  pleasure  is  to  see  you  rendering  ser- 
vice to  M.  Gravoueillo,*  and  you  understand  that, 
while  perfectly  appreciating  the  service  itself, 
what  especially  touches  mo  is  the  excellence  of  the 
good  work  you  thus  do.  Our  Lord  always  rewards 
what  is  done  for  him ;  he  is  generous  enough  not 
to  allow  himself  to  be  exceeded  in  generosity  by 
any  one.     I  am  proud  of  you. 

"I  told  you  that  they  let  us  have  the  news- 
papers.! I  have  read  three,  have  written  I  don't 
know  how  many  letters,  and  have  not  opened  a 
mathematical  book  to-day.     AVhat  dissipation  I  " 

This  letter  bears  the  date  of  May  5.  On  the 
Cth,  before  sending  it,  he  adds  these  lines,  which 
prove  how  little  he  cherished  illusions  :  **  They  are 
filling  up  their  prison.  I  believe  the  hour  of  their 
most  evil  counsels  will  be  the  hour  of  their  greatest 
reverses." 

He  did  not  fail  to  discharge  his  debt  of  gratitude 
towards  the  devoted  woman  who  had  surmounted 
so  many  obstacle!  in  order  to  visit  him  and  afford 
him  the  pleasue  of  his  brother's  visit. 

♦  The  Rev.  Father  Gi'avoueille,  rector  of  the  College  of 
Vaugirard. 

+  This  relaxation  of  the  prison  discipline  was  probably  due 
to  the  same  influence  which  procured  for  Father  Clerc  the 
wAt  of  bis  brother  and  the  person  mentioned  in  connection 
with  it. 


Prisoner  and  Victim  for  Love  of  Jcsns.     465 


<'  I  am 

brougnt 
be  mucli 
ur  \vorlv-5 
Uier  prc- 
.lat   gives 
ering  £cr- 
and  tliat, 
,ce    itself, 
nee  of  the 
ys  rewards 
nougli  not 
ucrosiiy  by 

the  news- 
ten  I  don't 
opened  a 
pation  : 
5.     On  the 
ine?,  wbicli 
''  They  are 
our  of  their 
iieir  greatest 

lof  gratitude 
Isurniounted 
and  afford 

Le  College  of 

Is  probably  due 
Itber  Clerc  tbo 
in  connectiou 


"It  is  not  enough,"  he  wrote  to  lier,  "  to  have 
thanked  you  once  ;  I  owe  you  too  mucli,  and  I 
wish  to  thank  you  again. 

*•'  To  do  so  I  will  tell  you  of  the  joy  your  uncx- 
poctcd  visit  gave  mc.  I  supposed  you  were  in  the 
country,  and  meanwhile  you  returned  to  Paris. 
Thrusting  yourself  into  the  jaws  of  the  wolf,  you 
forced  the  gates  of  this  impenetrable  prison.  Bo 
very  sure  that  I  can  form  some  estimate  of  all  it 
must  have  cost  you,  of  all  the  weariness  and  fatigue 
of  such  efforts,  and  of  the  multiplied  journeys  to 
Versailles,  to  Paris,  and  to  Saint-Germain.  But 
charity,  says  St.  Paul,  *is  kind,  sceketh  not  her 
own,  hopeth  all  things,  and  endureth  all  things.' 
Consequently  it  overcomes  all  obstacles.  It  was 
you,  then,  who  were  to  break  down  this  barrier 
that  stood  firm  in  spite  of  all  my  brother's  efforts 
for  a  month — for  I  had  been  in  prison  just  one 
month  when  I  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you. 
This  was  right:  charity,  which  is  better,  should 
be  mightier  than  fraternal  friendship.  AVhat  an 
attention  on  your  part,  and  what  trouble  you  took 
to  hunt  up  my  brother  and  wait  for  him  that  you 
might  bring  him  to  me. 

'•'Eemark  how  God  commences  in  this  world  to 
justify  his  providence,  and  ask  yourself  if  the  hor- 
rors of  these  days  have  not  a  reason  for  being,  in 
that  they  call  forth  such  amiable  and  delicate  de- 
votedness. 

"  I  must  tell  you  once  again  what  a  consolation 
it  was,  after  this  month  of  absolute  separation,  and 
of  hearing  incessantly  night  and  day  the  thunder 


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466 


Alexis  Clerc, 


of  cannon — what  a  consolation  it  was  to  see  beloved 
friends  and  to  learn  news  of  such  interest.  More- 
over, all  the  news  you  brought  me  was  good.  The 
blows  that  have  struck  us  have  only  partially  in- 
jured us ;  our  colleges  are  hardly  incommoded  by 
them  ;  while  a  few  of  us,  suffering  for  the  name  of 
Jesus,  will  render  the  labors  of  the  rest  more  effica- 
cious and  more  fruitful. 

"  So  I  have  brought  back  into  my  cell  a  yery 
joyous  heart.  The  mortiflcation  of  the  solitary 
life  is  but  a  little  thing  to  a  man  accustomed  to 
silence  and  study,  and  whose  life  has  been  mostly 
passed  in  his  religious  cell.  But  ignorance  regard- 
ing such  great  interests  is  very  painful,  and  all  pos- 
sible resignation  to  the  will  of  God  neither  can 
nor  ought  to  make  us  indifferent  to  them. 

'*  What,  then,  shall  I  do  to  show  you  some  grati- 
tude ?  1  will  continue  my  office  towards  you,  to 
excite  you  to  fidelity  to  your  resolutions,  and  espe- 
cially to  bring  you  ever  nearer  to  our  Lord,  not 
only  spiritually  by  prayer  and  the  practice  of  all 
your  duties,  as  well  as  by  your  works  of  charity, 
but  to  draw  you  closer  to  him  corporally  by  the 
Iloly  Communion.  Here  tliere  is  no  confession, 
no  Mass  even  on  Sundays.  Wo  are  lodged,  fed ; 
that  is  enough  for  animals.  Profit  by  the  sacra- 
ments whicli  are  offered  you. 

"  Can  you  explain  to  me  why  we  who  are  capa- 
ble, and  so  readily  capable,  of  generous  and  affec- 
tionate sentiments,  arc  so  cold  towards  our  Lord  ? 
Has  he  not  the  most  generous,  the  most  delicate, 
and  the  tenderest  of  hearts  ?    There  is  nothing  of 


Prisoner  and  Victim  for  Love  of  Jesus.    467 


beloved 
More- 
a.  The 
ially  in- 
Loded  by 
name  of 
)re  effica- 

ell  a  very 
3  solitary 
stomed  to 
len  mostly 
ice  regard- 
nd  all  pos- 
leitber  can 

n. 

lome  grati- 
■ds  you,  to 
I,  and  cspe- 
Lord,  not 
Iclice  of  all 
of  charity, 
ally  by  tlie 
confession, 
odged,  fed  ; 
|y  the  sacra- 

Lo  are  capa- 
Is  and  affec- 
Is  our  Lord  ? 
lost  delicate, 
[3  nothing  of 


good  in  any  man  which  is  not  far  more  excellent  in 
him.    We  must  love  him  with  all  our  strength." 

At  the  same  time  he  writes  to  Father  Chauveau, 
who  he  knows  now  is  at  liberty  and  engaged  in 
procuring  for  his  brotliers  still  in  confinement  the 
comforts  compatible  with  the  prison  regulations  : 
"  I  have  nothing  to  suffer  except  from  ignorance 
of  what  is  going  on.  I  have  books,  and  between 
prayer,  reading,  and  study,  the  time  passes  almost 
as  quickly  as  elsewhere  ;  as  for  linen  and  aliment, 
charity  does  not  permit  us  to  want.  Let  nobody 
be  the  least  uneasy  about  mc. 

**Ihave  heard  something  said  of  proposals  of 
exchange.  Ahsit!  I  will  none  of  it.  I  bear  the 
situation  pretty  patiently,  and  shall  as  long  as 
need  be.  There  are  so  many  reasons  for  refusing 
an  cxchangn.     Oh!  no. 

"  Bid  the  charitable  hand  that  feeds  us  to  be 
less  prodigal  of  its  benefits  to  me.  It  may  be  flat- 
tering to  it,  but  is  rather  shameful  to  me  :  I  am 
(jroiving  fat !  Will  I  bo  able  to  leave  my  ceil  when 
the  hour  of  deliverance  shall  come  ?  My  cell,  0 
horrors  I  is  it  a  coop  ?  Truly,  I  ^''  ^  not  require  so 
many  things." 

While  it  was  still  easy  for  him  to  correspond 
with  persons  outside  the  prison,  he  addressed  two 
letters,  foreseeing  doubtless  that  they  would  be 
the  last,  to  his  two  young  nephews,  Alexis  and 
Henri,  members  of  the  little  colony  which  had  plant- 
ed its  tent  at  Saint  Germaiu-en-Laye  while  await- 
ing the  restoration  of  the  College  of  Vaugirard. 
After  the  example  of  the  Divine  Master,  having 


\ 


4C8 


Alexis  Clcrc. 


loved  Ids  own,  he  loved  tlicm  nnio  the  end  (John 
xiii.  1).  His  affection  for  them  all,  of  which  we 
have  discovered  so  many  proofs  in  his  letters  to  his 
brother,  never  expressed  itself  in  terms  more  ear- 
nest and  tender.  To  little  Henri,  a  child  of  ten 
years  of  age,  ho  writes : 

"  My  Dear  Little  Hej^ri  :  I  learn  from  your 
papa  that  you  are  very  good  and  very  attentive, 
therefore  ho  is  pleased  with  you,  and  your  dear 
mamma  is,  and  all  of  us,  including  your  masters. 
Do  not  be  discouraged  because  you  are  not  at  the 
head  of  your  class  ;  you  are  not  the  first  boy  in  the 
class,  but  you  are  not  the  biggest  boy  either. 

"  You  cannot  be  learned  before  having  studied  ; 
and  since  you  do  study,  you  will  become  learned. 
Have  confidence;  you  know  very  well  that  farmers 
sow  in  October  to  reap  in  August. 

"Everything  is  going  on  first  rate;  do  not  bo 
sad  and  discontented  when  wo  are  all  satisfied. 

'*  To  love  our  Lord  dearly,  to  love  the  Blessed 
Virgin  dearly,  to  perform  your  tasks  faithfully, 
and  to  behave  yourself  well,  is  all  you  need.  With 
that  one  should  progress  proudly  and  happily. 

**  With  time  you  will  grow  in  stature,  in  know- 
ledge, in  wisdom,  and  in  graces.  This  is  what  is 
wished  you  by  your  affectionate  uncle  in  our 
Lord,  "Al.  Clerc,  S.J." 

"  Mazas,  May  8,  1871." 

The  same  day  he  wrote  to  little  Henri's  elder 
brother,  who  in  baptism  had  received  the  name  of 
his  uncle : 


Prisoner  and  Victim  for  Love  of  Jesus,     469 


(Jolin 
aicli  -sve 
rs  to  liis 
lore  car- 
Id  of  ten 

•om  your 
ittentivc, 
our  dear 
•  masters, 
lot  at  the 
boy  ia  ^^^ 
her. 

g  studied ; 
ac  learned, 
lat  farmers 

do  not  bo 
,tisfied. 
lihe  Blessed 

faithfully. 

ccd.    AVi^^^ 

appily* 
te,  in  know- 
is  is  what  is 
icle   in   our 
:rc,  S.J»' 

llenri'a  elder 
the  name  of 


"  Mazas,  Monday,  ^lay  S,  1871. 

"My  DEAR  NEPHEW  Alexis:  Your  father  has 
brought  me  news  of  yon,  and,  as  it  is  good,  I  desire 
(0  congratulate  you  ;  I  am  obliged  to  do  it  in  writ- 
ing from  my  prison.  He  has  told  me  of  your  suc- 
cess in  your  class,  of  your  meriting  the  cross  twice 
and  also  the  ribbon,  and  of  your  docility  being 
satisfactory  to  your  masters.  That  is  what  makes 
a  good  scholar  ! 

"As  a  good  scholar  fulfils  all  his  duties  well,  ho 
satisfies  his  masters  and  himself;  ho  has  no  re- 
proaches to  dread,  therefore  he  is  confident ;  he 
has  no  fault  to  conceal,  therefore  he  is  frank  ;  ho 
has  only  compliments  to  receive,  therefore  he  is 
agreeable ;  and  he  is  disposed  to  like  everybody,  as 
everybody  is  disposad  to  like  him. 

"  It  should  not  be  enough  for  you  to  be  a  good 
scholar  and  an  amiable  child  ;  you  must  also  be  a 
holy  child.  God  should  have  the  place  i-n  your 
heart  which  belongs  to  him — that  is,  the  first  place. 
This  is  why  what  rejoiced  me  most  was  to  learn 
that  you  show  yourself  as  pious  as  you  are  good  and 
industrious,  and  that  you  are  first  in  Catechism 
class.  You  are  thinking  seriously  of  your  First 
Communion,  and  are  preparing  for  it  with  all  the 
f/ctention  you  arc  capable  of.  Your  two  sisters 
have  given  you  a  good  example  ;  you  mean  to  fol- 
low it,  and  to  leave  a  similar  one  to  little  Henri ; 
that  is  the  way  piety  increases  in  families  and 
strengthens  the  bonds  which  unite  them. 

"However,  you  must  in  this,  as  well  as  in  your 
studies  and  your  conduct,  moderate  too  great  an 


<  I' 

ill 


4/0 


Alexis  Clerc. 


eagerness  to  do  well  and  to  sncceed.  What  a  joy 
it  is  for  U3,  my  dear  Alexis,  especially  for  your 
kind  father  and  your  tender  mother,  to  have  only 
this  danger  to  dread  for  you  !  Still,  it  is  to  be 
dreaded. 

"  It  is,  perliaps,  by  forming  your  heart  to  a  piety 
earnest  but  gentle,  ambitious  of  pleasing  God  but 
asking  of  him  the  means  of  doing  so,  jealous  of 
loving  our  Lord  a  great  deal  but  asking  him  to 
give  you  that  love,  that  you  will  learn  to  expect 
more  (in  other  things,  too)  of  God  than  of  yourself, 
and,  as  an  instance,  to  join  in  your  labor  and  your 
good  conduct  ardor  to  moderation.  It  is  not,  you 
understand  perfectly,  my  dear  child,  that  your  zeal 
should  bo  diminished — to  regulate  it  and  to  direct 
it  prudently,  is  to  strengthen  and  not  to  weaken  it. 

"I  am  confident,  therefore,  that  you  are  going 
to  make  an  excellent  First  Communion,  and  that 
our  Lord,  giving  himself  to  you  entirely,  more  gencr 
rous  to  you  than  you  will  have  been  to  him,  will 
load  you  with  blessings,  and  especially  will  fill  your 
heart  with  an  ineffaceable  love  for  him  ;  I  shall 
not  fail  to  pray  that  you  may  worthily  perform  that 
great  act,  and  that  you  may  draw  from  it  abundant 
graces. 

'•Farewell,  my  dear  child  !  Your  uncle,  a  pri- 
soner for  the  name  of  Jesus,  who  affectionately  em- 
braces you  in  Jesus' Heart.        Al.  Clerc,  S.J." 

The  very  day  Father  Clerc  assumed  that  beauti- 
ful title,  *'  Prisoner  for  the  Name  of  Jesus,"  to  the 
end  that  it  might  be  still  better  justified  in  the 
eyes  of  all,  the  Commune  ordered  to  be  promulgat- 


C; 

a 


Prisoner  and  Victim  for  Love  of  jfesus.     471 


t  a  joy 
r  your 
7C  only 
3  to  be 

.  a  piety 

>od  but 

ilous  of 

him  to 

I 

o  expect 

yourself, 

lud  your 

not,  you 

your  zeal 

to  direct 

vcakeu  it. 

are  going 
and  tbat 

lore  gene- 

bim,  TV  ill 

1  fill  your 

,  I  sball 

form  tliat 

abundant 

iclc,  a  pri- 
lately  cm- 
|c,  S.J." 
liat  beauti- 

is,"  to  tbe 
Ifiod  in  the 

)romul  gat- 


ed at  Mazas  a  new  decree,  in  virtue  of  which  the 
parlor  was  suppressed  for  the  priests  and  main- 
tained only  for  the  laics.  Citizen  Garreau  had 
jus*,  been  appointed  director  of  Mazas.  Tins  new 
rule  was,  it  was  aptly  said,  *'  the  largess  of  his  joy- 
ous accession."  * 

But  there  is  a  Visitor  whom  the  Commune  will 
not  keep  back  ;  it  is  he  who  said  to  his  apostles  : 
I  will  not  leave  yoii  oiyhans ;  I  will  come  to  you. 
And  again  :  If  a.uij  one  love  me  .  .  .  my  Fa- 
ther will  love  him  J  and  we  will  come  to  him  and  will 
make  oar  abode  with  him  (John  xiv.  18,  23). 
Everything  is  being  prepared  for  this  august  and, 
teyond  all  others,  consoling  visit,  and  wo  are  now 
approaching  the  scene  which  to  the  eyes  of  faith 
is  the  most  interesting  in  this  revived  drama  of  the 
catacombs  that  is  to  find  its  catastrophe  in  martyr- 
dom. Let  us  leave  ihe  narration  to  the  author  of 
the  "Acts,"  who  was  ignorantof  nothing  that  then 
transpired,  and  whoso  heart  would  have  guessed, 
if  need  had  been,  everything  tliat  was  accomplished 
by  a  charity  capable  of  braving  all  iDerils  and  sur- 
mounting all  obstacles  : 

"  May  15th. — In  the  midst  of  the  month  conse- 
crated to  Mary  there  dawns  at  last  a  beautiful  day, 
a  day  of  grace  and  joy,  and  the  harbinger  of  another, 
henceforward  near,  of  sacrifice  and  glory.  The 
CLiplivcs  of  Mazas  did  not  cease  repeating  to  heaven 
and  earth  :  Veni,  Domine  Jcsu  ! — Ah  !  come.  Lord 
Jesus.     Etiamvenio  cito! — 'Yes,'  was  the  reply, 

»  "Acts  oC  the  Captivity,"  etc.,  p.  118. 


4/2 


Alexis  Clerc, 


■  i 


'behold  I  come.'  Suddenly  the  gates  burst  open; 
the  prisoners  did  not  go  forth,  but  Jesus  entered. 

"  However,  in  the  morning  of  that  blessed  day 
tiie  Desired  had  not  yet  appeared, 

**  Fatlier  Clerc  wrote  with  his  ordinary  cheerful- 
ness :  *  Your  little  message  affords  me  much  con- 
solation and  joy  ;  I  am  very  thankful  for  it,  and  I 
beg  you  to  continue,  as  you  know  how  to  do,  this 
kind  assistance.  You  give  me  reason  to  hope  for 
greater.     Be  it  so  !    God  is  so  good  to  us  ! 

"  *  I  continue  to  study  mathematics  and  prepare 
my  class  ;  and  when  one  has  performed  his  exer- 
cises of  piety  the  day  has  vanished.  I  catch  a 
glimpse  of  a  ray  of  light,  and  I  hope  for  better 
times  for  our  unfortunate  country.  For  the  pre- 
sent I  am  ever  quite  content  to  be  in  prison,  so 
have  no  uneasiness  about  me.  May  God  bless  you 
for  your  charity  !  My  compliments  and  affection- 
ate wishes  to  all  our  friends  in  our  Lord. 

"  *  Oh  !  how  separation  makes  us  feel  where  our 
heart  has  fixed  its  love  !' 

**  Father  Olivaint,  likewise  warned,  wrote  to 
Father  Lcfebvre :  *  What  a  providence  it  is  that 
you  have  been  able  to  remain  down  there  !  How 
manifest  it  is  to  me  that  the  Lord  has  directed  all ! 
I  am  at  the  forty-first  day  of  my  retreat.  From 
to-day  I  shall  meditate  only  on  the  Eucharist.' 

"  Meanwhile  everything  was  ready,  within  as 
well  as  without,  for  Jesus' entrance  into  the  prison. 
First  of  all  it  had  been  necessary  to  inform  the 
captives  themselves  of  the  ingenious  and  bold  un- 
dertaking.    As  every  letter  sent  from  or  received 


Prisoner  ami  Victim  for  Love  of  jfcsus.    473 


open ; 
tcrecl. 
3ed  day 

cli  cou- 
t,  and  I 
do,  this 
liope  for 
I 

• 

I  prepare 

his  cxor- 
catch  a 

:or  better 

•  the  pi'c- 

prison,  so 
bless  you 
affection- 

^here  our 

■wrote  to 

It  is  that 

\    How 

lirected  all  I 
From 

Jiarist.' 

,'ithin  as 
Ithe  prison. 
|inform  the 
bold  un- 
received 


at  jSIazas  was  opened  and  read,  it  l!ad  been  con- 
trived to  slip  noU^s  m  the  dough  of  the  rolls  sent 
to  the  prisoners  before  putting  them  in  the  oven. 
The  tenor  of  these  mysterious  notes  was  as  follows  : 
*  Circumstances   are   very   grave ;    have 


courage 


To-morrow  you  will  receive  the  supreme  consola- 
tion'; and  at  the  foot  ;  'You  will  receive  a  vessel 
filled  with  milk,  and  at  the  boitom  you  will  find 
what  I  annonncc  to  you.'  The  warning  was  re- 
ceived and  understood,  and  the  reply  was  sent  from 
i^fazas  :  We  shall  Ic  very  (jlad  to  have  the  little  pot 
of  cream.  It  was  then  thought  that  the  delicate 
operation  might  be  safely  proceeded  with.  A 
priest's  hand  deposited  four  consecrated  Hosts  in 
an  inner  box  completely  lined  with  a  corporal,  and 
then  enclosed  in  a  second  box  with  another  little 
corporal  and  the  silk  bag  with  cord  attached  to 
suspend  from  the  neck.  The  whole  was  placed  in 
the  hermetically-sealed  false  bottom  of  a  pot  quite 
filled  with  cream.  There  were  only  three  of  these 
pots — namely,  for  Father  01iv£?int,  Father  Ducou- 
dray,  and  Father  Clerc  ;  this  time  those  who 
planned  the  aflfair  had  not  known  how  to  manage 
it  in  the  quarter  of  the  prison  where  Father  Cau- 
bert  and  Father  de  Bengy  were  confined. 

"  Towards  the  middle  of  the  day  the  little  j^ots 
and  the  little  boxes*  expected  and  so  earnestly  de- 
sired arnved  at  Mazas;  half-past  twelve  was  the 
propitious  hour  when  all  the  prisoners  were  in 
their  cells.    The  employees    were    obliging   and 

♦  These  are  the  enigrmaticnl  expref sions  which  Father  Oli- 
vaint  made  use  of  iu  a  preceding  letter. 


474 


Alexis  Clerc. 


eager,  astonished  themselves  at  finding  their  sad  role 
mitigated :  at  the  prison  gate  a  generous  feo  was 
bestowed  upon  them,  and  the  most  gracious  wel- 
come invited  them  to  enter  the  cells.  *Ah  !  be- 
hold our  good  messengers,*  Father  Clerc  did  not 
fail  to  exclaim  on  seeing  them. 

"From  that  day  our  three  privileged  captives 
bore  upon  their  breasts,  as  upon  a  living  altar,  the 
God  of  their  heart  and  their  portion  for  eternity. 
The  holy  undertaking  being  at  last  completed,  each 
of  them  must  immediately  give  some  notification. 

**  In  the  evening  of  the  15th  of  May  Father  Oli- 
vaint  hastened  to  send  this  little  message  of  ac- 
knowledgment:  *I  did  not  expect  anything  more 
to-day.  My  surprise,  and  I  may  say  my  consolation, 
were  only  the  greater.  1  thank  you  again  ! — a  big, 
an  enormous  thank  you  ! 

"  'In  my  retreat  I  have  been  occupied  for  a  long 
time  with  the  Holy  Ghost ;  now  1  am  going  to 
meditate  upon  the  Eucharist.* 

"  The  joy  of  the  15th  of  May  could  not  be  with- 
out a  morrow.  On  the  IGth  there  was  at  Mazas 
but  one  cry  of  gratitude.  Father  Clerc  writes  to 
one  of  his  brothers  :  * 

"  *  My  Dear  Emile  :  Supposing  your  almost 
aiwcious  uneasiness  about  what  was  sent  to  us  this 
morning,  I  have  done  all  I  could  to  relieve  you  of 
it.  I  have  written  a  letter  on  the  subject  to  my 
brother,  and  I  believe  it  has  already  been  sent.  At 
the  same  time  I  fear  lest  my  brother  may  not  be  in 
Paris,  and  lest  ho  may  not  fully  understand  the 
*  Father  Emile  Chauveau. 


Prisoner  and  Victim  for  Love  of  Jesus.     475 


'  sad  role 
feo  was 
)U3  wel- 
Ah  !  l)C- 
3  did  not 

captives 
altar,  the 

etcrnily. 
eted,  each 
ification. 
ather  Oli- 
ige  of  ac- 
hing more 
onsolation, 
n !— a  big, 

for  a  long 
going  to 

ot  be  with- 
g  at  Hazns 
c  writes  to 

our  almost 
to  us  this 
leve  you  of 
)3ect  to  my 
en  sent.  At 
ay  not  be  in 
erstand  the 


importance  of  the  commission  I  gave  him,  as  I 
wrote  it  in  words  of  double  meaning.  So  at  all 
events  I  will  prepare  this  little  message  for  you. 

"* Everything  reached  us  in  perfect  order  and 
was  arranged  with  admirable  art  and  skill.  T  pre- 
fer to  leave  it  to  your  i)iety  to  picture  my  joy, 
rather  than  attempt  to  do  so  with  my  pen.  But  I 
think  I  may  say  with  full  assurance  that  I  defy 
all  that  may  now  happen.  There  is  no  more  pri- 
son, there  is  no  more  solitude  for  me,  and  I  am 
confident  that  if  our  Lord  permits  the  wicked  to 
satisfy  all  their  hatred  and  to  prevail  for  a  few 
hours,  he  will  prevail  ever  them  at  the  very  mo- 
ment of  their  triumph,  and  will  glorify  his  name  by 
the  weakest  and  vilest  instrument. 

'**Let  us  bless  God  with  all  our  strength,  be- 
cause his  benefits  to  us  are  redoubled.  Farewell. 
Fax  ct  osciilnm  in  C/ui'sfo.* 

"  'Alexis  Ciiristophe  Clerc,  S.J.f 

'''P.S. — Bearing  our  Lord  upon  my  heart,  I 
was  touched,  while  saying  Vespers,  with  the  prayer 
of  the  good  Paschal  Baylon.  J:     Oh  I  how  differently 

*  I  wish  you  peace  and  embrace  you  in  our  Lord. 

+  It  is  well  known  that  the  name  Cliristophttr  signifies  the 
Christ-bearer. 

t  It  was,  indeed,  the  vigil  of  I  he  feast  of  St.  Pascal  Baylon, 
a  religious  of  the  Order  of  St.  Francis,  celebrated  for  bis  de- 
votion to  the  Blessed  Eucharist.  Here  is  the  prayer  :  *'  Dpai9, 
quibeatunt  Paschalem,  Confessorevx  tuum,  inirifica  erga  Cor- 
poris et  Sanguinis  tui  aacra  mysteria  dilectione  decorasti  ; 
concede  propitius,  ut  quam  tile  ex  hoc  divino conviviospiritua 
percepit phiguedinem,  camdem  et  nos  percipere  mereamur''^ 
—"Lord,  who  didst  endow  thy  blessed  confessorj  Paschal, 
with  an  admirable  love  towards  the  sacred  mysteries  of  thy 
Body  and  Blood,  vouchsafe  to  grant  ustho  grace  that  our  gouIs, 
like  bis,  may  bo  strengthened  and  enlarged  by  that  divine  ban- 
quet" ("Breviar.  Roman.,"  May  17). 


4/6 


Aivxis  Citrc, 


t 


f    . 

I' 


he  would  have  appreciated  and  given  thanks  for 
the  great  favor  our  Lord  lias  bestowed  upon  his 
unworthy  servant/ 

"But  here,  written  on  tiic  same  day  and  for  the 
same  purpose,  is  Father  Clerc's  last  letter,  and  in 
very  truth  his  JV?/;ic  dimiltis  : 

*' '  Ah  !  my  God,  how  good  thou  art !  And  how 
true  it  is  that  the  mercy  of  thy  Heart  shall  never 
fail ! 

**  ^Andycu — what  gratitude,  what  thanksgivings, 
do  wo  not  owe  you  ?  After  having  a  thousand  and 
a  thousand  times  repeated  the  expression  of  my 
imperishable  gratitude,  and  after  having  offered 
you  on  a  new  claim  the  feeble  services  of  a  heart 
at  least  sincere  and  devoted,  it  remains  to  me  to 
vrish  that  the  gift  you  make  mo  may  be  always 
made  to  you,  and  especially  in  days  of  trial. 

"  *  I  had  not  dared  to  conceive  the  hope  of  such 
a  blessing — to  possess  our  Lord,  to  have  him  for 
the  companion  of  my  captivity,  to  bear  him  upon 
my  heart  and  to  repose  upon  his,  as  he  permitted 
his  beloved  John  !  Yes,  it  is  too  much  for  me, 
and  what  never  entered  my  thoughts.  Yet  it  is  a 
fact.  But  is  it  not  true  that  all  men  and  all  the 
saints  together  would  never  have  dared  to  conceive 
of  the  Holy  Eucharist  ?  Oh  I  how  good,  how 
compassionate,  how  kindly  attentive  is  the  God  of 
the  Eucharist ! 

"'Does  it  not  seem  as  though  he  still  makes  us 
this  reproach :  Hitherto  you  have  not  ashed  any- 
thing in  my  name :  ash,  and  you  shall  receive  9  I 
have  him  without  having  asked  him ;   I  possess 


inks  for 
ipon  his 

\  for  tlio 
:,  and  in 

Andliow 
lall  never 

ksgivings, 
usand  and 
ion  of  my 
ng  offered 
of  a  beart 
3  to  nic  to 
be  always 

Irial. 

>pc  of  such 
|ve  liim  for 
him  i^pon 
permitted 

|ch  for  me, 
Yet  it  is  a 

land  all  the 
to  conceive 
good,  how 
the  God  of 

til  makes  ns 
asked  any- 
receive  ?  1 
J   I  possess 


Prisoner  and  I 'iiiini  for  Love  of  Jisns,     477 

him  and  I  sliall  nevermore  abandon  liim,  and  my 
desire  of  possessing  liim,  cxtinguiahed  Ihrourrli 
lack  of  hope,  is  rckintlled,  and  will  but  increase  in 
proportion  as  tiie  possession  shall  endure. 

**  *  Ah  !  prison,  dear  prison,  tliou  mIiosc  walls  I 
kissed  while  saluting  thee  :  Jhna  cnix !  AVliat  a 
treasure  thou  hast  won  mc  I  Tiiou  art  no  longer  a 
l)rison,  thou  art  a  chapel.  Thou  art  no  longer 
even  a  solitude,  since  I  am  no  more  alone  among 
tliy  shadows,  and  my  Lord  and  my  King,  my  Mas- 
ter and  my  God,  dwells  with  mc.  It  is  no  longer 
only  in  thought  that  I  approach  him,  it  is  no  lon- 
ger only  by  grace  that  he  approaches  me,  but  he  is 
really  and  corporally  come  to  find  and  console  the 
poor  prisoner.  He  wishes  to  keep  him  comp:iny  ; 
he  wishes  it,  and  can  he  not  do  it,  since  he  is  om- 
nipotent ?  But  what  marvels  it  has  cost  him  to 
accomplish  his  wish  !  And  you  arc  a  part  of  those 
marvels  of  the  tenderucs:S  of  the  Heart  of  Jesus  for 
his  unworthy  servant. 

**  *  Oh  \  never  end,  my  prison,  that  art  worth  to 
me  the  bearing  of  my  Lord  upon  my  heart,  not  as 
a  sign,  but  as  the  reality  of  my  union  with  him. 
During  the  first  days  I  begged  our  Lord  with  great 
caruesrncss  to  call  me  to  a  more  excellent  testimo- 
ny of  his  name.  The  worst  days  are  not  yet 
passed  ;  on  the  contrary,  they  are  approaching,  and 
thoy  will  be  soT  bad  that  the  goodness  of  God  will 
be  constrained  to  abridge  them ;  we  are  nearing 
them  very  fast.  I  had  the  hope  that  God  would 
give  me  the  strength  to  die  well  ;  to-day  my  hope 
is  become  a  true  and  steady  confidence.    It  £eems 


478 


Alexis  Clerc. 


i 


to  me  I  can  do  all  tilings  in  Him  who  strengthens 
me  and  who  ./ill  accompany  me  even  unto  death. 
Will  he  ask  my  death  ?  All  I  know  is  that  if  he 
docs  not  ask  it,  I  shall  have  a  regret  which  only 
submission  to  his  will  can  soften. 

"  *  But  if  he  does  ask  it,  how  large  will  be  your 
share  in  that  blessing  of  strength  he  will  have  lent 
me  ! ' " 

What  is  there  for  us  to  add  ?  A  priest,  reading 
this  letter  from  his  pulpit  to  the  faithful,  compared 
it  to  the  epistles  of  St.  Ignatius  of  Antioch.  Yes, 
certainly  the  resemblance  is  striking.  It  is  because 
the  same  God  dwelt  in  both  and  inspired  them  with 
the  same  fervor ;  and  if  Clerc  had  had,  like  that 
illustrious  martyr,  to  explain  himself  before  the 
judges,  he  would  have  spoken  the  same  language: 
"  I  am  a  priest  of  Jesus  Ciirist,  to  whom  I  sacri- 
fice daily,  and  now  I  desire  to  sacrifice  myself  by 
dying  for  his  glory  as  he  died  for  my  love." 

The  great  succor  our  prisoners  had  received  on 
May  15  was  renewed  eight  days  later  in  a  truly 
providential  manner,  but  a  few  hours  before  they 
were  transferred  from  the  prison  of  Mazas  to  that 
of  La  Rcquette.  I  borrow  this  page  also  from  the 
author  of  the  "  Acts  " : 

"Monday,  the  22d,  towards  noon,  two  weak 
and  courageous  women,  on  foot  and  with  a  burden 
they  shared  between  them,  under*  a  burning  sky 
travel  for  an  hour  over  the  broad,  desolate  districts 
which  are  trodden  only  by  the  patrols  of  the  Com- 
mune. Where  are  they  going  ?  To  Mazas.  And 
what  do  they  carry  ?    The  God  of  martyrs.     This 


»» 


I  \1 


Prisoner  and  Victivt  for  Love  of  Jesns.    ^"jg 


rcngthens 

I  to  death, 
that  if  he 
fbicli  only 

II  be  your 
1  have  lent 

st,  reading 
I,  compared 
.och.     Yes, 
:t  is  because 
1  them  with 
,d,  like  that 
i  before  the 
le  language : 
lom  I  eacri- 
e  myself  by 

ove." 
leceived  on 

X  in  a  truly 
before  they 
azas  to  that 
dso  from  the 

In,   two  weak 

nth  a  burden 

burning  sky 

[olate  districts 
^  of  the  Com- 
iMazas.  And 
krtyrs.    Tliis 


time  all  precautions  had  been  taken,  the  distribu- 
tion was  complete ;  each  of  our  prisoners  received 
four  Hosts  wrapped  in  a  corporal  as  in  a  winding- 
sheet,  duly  enclosed  in  a  little  box,  with  the  gilk 
bag  furnished  with  a  cord  to  be  suspended  around 
the  neck.  By  coming  at  such  an  hour  the  Lord 
Jesus  seemed  to  repeat  to  his  servants  his  words  of 
olden  days  :  Itcrum  vcnio  ct  accijnam  vos  ad 
meipsum — "  I  come  again,  not  to  remain  with  you, 
but  to  take  you  to  myself." 

Thus  each  already  bore  about  him  his  Viaticum, 
and  at  the  approach  of  the  last  combat  it  was  in 
their  power  to  offer  to  several  of  their  companions 
in  captivity  the  great  charity  of  breaking  with 
them  the  Bread  of  the  Strong. 

That  very  day  quite  late  in  the  evening  they 
were  crowded  into  carts  and  driven  to  La  Roquetto, 
the  prison  of  the  condemned.  On  their  arrival 
nothing  was  ready  to  receive  them  ;  they  were 
kept  a  long  while  in  a  sort  of  waiting-room  fur- 
nished with  wooden  benches  fixed  ogaiust  tho 
walls.  The  Archbishop  of  Paris  was  there  seated 
like  the  others  on  his  bench  between  President 
Bonjean  and  M.  Deguerry,  cure  of  the  Madeleine. 
The  latter  bavin;?  addressed  the  prelate  by  his 
honorary  title,  a  guard  rudely  calls  out  to  him : 
'*  Citizens,  there  are  no  lords  here."  At  the  same 
moment  one  of  the  prisoners  (a  witness  says  it  was 
Father  Clerc)  rises  from  his  place,  and,  kneeling 
before  monseigneur,  kisses  his  hand  and  asks  his 
blessing.  Then,  having  noticed  the  feeble  ap- 
pearance of  tho  unfortunate  archbishop,  he  opens 


48o 


Alexis  Clcrc. 


a  little  parcel  he  has  under  his  arm  aud  offers  him 
some  provisions  saved  from  Mazas. 

Finally  they  are  conducted  to  their  cells,  where 
they  find  the  entire  furniture  consists  of  only 
a  bed,  composed  of  a  straw  mattress  and  one 
blanket.  Fathers  Ducoudray  and  Clerc,  again 
together,  were  put  in  the  fourth  seccion  on  the 
first  story,  not  far  from  the  .nrchbishop  and  M. 
Deguerry.  After  the  first  night  spent  in  his  new 
prison.  Father  Clerc  informed  his  brother  of  his 
change  of  domicile  in  a  note  significantly  laconic, 
written  beneath  the  eyes  of  the  turnkeys  and 
agents  of  the  Commune  : 

"  My  dear  Jules  :  Yesterday,  Monday,  the 
22d,  we  were  removed  from  our  late  residence,  and 
wo  are  now  at  La  Roquette,  probably  for  greater 
safety.  Last  night  I  ISaw  the  moon  and  the  stars, 
and  I  am  writing  to  you  on  the  ledge  of  my  win- 
dow under  the  blue  sky.  I  have  neither  table  nor 
chair.     The  life  of  man  can  be  greatly  simplified. 

"  We  are  ignorant  of  our  new  conditions  of  ex- 
istence ;  they  seem  not  to  include  an  isolation  as 
complete  as  at  Mazas. 

"  Grande  Roquette,  Fourth  Section,  Ko.  6." 

In  reality  there  is  no  longer  the  isolation  of  the 
cellular  system.  From  his  window,  which  now  opens 
about  breast-high  and  gives  free  entrance  to  (he 
air  and  sun,  the  prisoner  perceives  at  first  running 
round  the  building  a  broad  enough  road  which  serves 
as  a  i)lace  for  walking  and  recreation.  Beyond,  his 
eyes  encounter  one  of  the  two  high  walls  between 
which  runs  a  second  road,  where  in  two  days  he  will 


Prisoner  and  Viciiifi  for  Love  of  yesus.     48 1 


ffers  liioi 

Is,  where 

of    only 

and  one 
re,    again 
)ii  on  the 
p  and  M. 
n  his  now 
her  of  his 
ly  laconic, 
nkeys  and 

onday,   the 
idcnce,  and 
for  greater 
d  the  stars, 
of  my  win- 
r  table  nor 
simpVifiecl. 
tions  of  cx- 
isolation  as 

In,  No.  6." 
[ation  of  the 
ph  now  opens 
:ance  to  the 
Irst  running 
I  which  serves 

Beyond,  his 

rails  hetween 

days  be  wii^ 


meet  his  death.  By  an  arrangement,  which  is  the 
same  throughout  the  prison,  his  cell,  adjoining  that 
of  President  Bonjean,  is  separated  from  it  by  only  a 
thin  partition,  which  likewise  divides  the  common 
window.  At  a  given  signal  the  two  prisoners  can 
meet  almost  face  to  face,  and  there  is  nothing  to 
prevent  them  from  holding  the  most  private  conver- 
sations— a  providential  circumstance,  as  we  shall  sec. 

When  the  weather  permitted,  the  prisoners  de- 
scended twice  a  day  for  a  promenade  in  tiie  first 
road.  They  met  there  for  the  first  time  on  Tues- 
day, between  eight  and  nine  o'clock,  while  the  em- 
ployees of  the  prison  were  doing  the  morning  work 
in  their  poor  cells.  The  outpourings  of  heart  of 
those  hours,  each  one  of  which  might  be  their  last, 
the  happiness  felt  at  meeting  again  after  so  long  a 
separation,  especially  by  those  whom  the  bonds  of 
religious  brotherhood  more  closely  united,  may  be 
better  imagined  than  expressed.  If  the  "Ecce 
quam  bonum''  could  not  bo  sung  in  such  a  place, 
the  sentiment  to  which  it  responds  was  not  the  less 
present  in  every  heart.  What  unanimity  in  our 
beloved  brothers'  generous  acceptance  of  the  great- 
est of  sacrifices,  and  in  their  ardent  wishes  for  the 
unfortunate  country  of  which  they  would  not  de- 
spair !  There  reigns  a  wonderful  harmony  in  their 
words,  piously  collected  by  the  author  of  the 
"  Acts.'*  I  will  repeat  a  few  of  them,  taken  either 
from  their  letters  written  at  Mazas,  or  from  those 
memorable  conversations  of  La  Roquette  when 
their  voices  were  heard  for  the  last  time. 

To  the  sound  of  the  cannon  that  shook  his  cell 


•'.!•    J 


482 


A /ex is  C/erc, 


Father  Olivainfc  wroto  :  "Those  friglitiiil  cannon 
that  thunder  inccGsantly  !  Oh  !  liow  they  worry 
nie  ;  but  how,  also,  they  remind  m^  to  pray  for  our 
poor  country  !  If  the  giving  of  my  miserable  life 
would  put  an  end  to  all  the  trouble,  how  quickly  I 
would  make  the  sacrifice  ! " 

More  composed.  Father  Caubert  did  not  cease  to 
pray  for  France  and  for  Paris,  and  he  had  hope  of 
a  better  future.  "  I  have  the  conviction  that  it 
will  not  be  long  before  all  hearts  will  understand 
one  another  and  unite  in  one  same  spirit  of  concord 
and  charity."  To  a  celebrated  advocate  who  visited 
him  in  his  prison,  he  said  :  "This  is  a  very  great 
trial  for  the  country,  and  will  save  it."  And  as 
his  visitor  exi)rcssed  his  doubts  cf  such  a  result, 
*'  For  me,  I  have  no  doubt,"  Father  Caubert  added. 
**  I  am  sure,  I  believe  firmly,  that  France  will  come 
forth  regenerated,  more  Christian,  and  consequent- 
ly stronger  than  she  has  ever  been  before." 

Did  not  Father  Clerc  on  his  side  write  :  "  I  dis- 
tinguish a  ray  of  light,  and  I  have  the  hope  of 
better  times  for  our  unhappy  country  "  ? 

*'  Ibcmt  gaiidentes!  ..."  were  the  first  words 
that  escaped  the  lips  of  Father  Ducoudray  at  the 
moment  of  his  arrest.  He  repeated  them  at  the 
Conciergerie,  and  his  joy  in  suffering  for  Jesus 
Christ  never  failed  him.  From  his  cell  in  Mazas 
he  wrote :  "  From  the  first  day  of  my  arrival  here 
I  have  kept  myself  ready  for  all  sacrifices,  for  I 
have  the  sweet  and  strong  confidence  that  if  God 
makes  of  us,  priests  and  religious,  hostages  and 
victims,  it  is  ix\\\y  inodmm  fidei,  in  odium  nominis 


i 


Prisoner  and  Victim  for  Love  of  Jesus.     483 


cannon 

y  worry 
y  for  our 
ruble  life 
pickly  I 

t  cease  to 
d  hope  of 
)n  that  it 
nderstand 
of  concord 
vho  visited 
very  great 
"    And  as 
»,li  a  result, 
bert  added, 
e  will  como 
sonsequent- 


?j 


ii 


Idis- 


Ire. 
te: 
the  liope  of 

• 

first  words 

id  ray  at  tlie 

tbem  at  tlic 

ig  for  Jesus 

jU  in  Mazas 

arrival  bere 
[jrifices,  for  I 

that  if  God 

Ibostagcs  and 

Hum  noniviis 


Christi  Jcsu — in  hatred  of  (he  faith,  in  hatred  of 
the  name  of  Jesus  Christ.''  On  the  very  day  of  liis 
death  he  was  heard  at  La  Roquette  to  repeat:  "^  If 
we  are  shot,  it  is  certain  to  mo  that  it  will  be  in 
hatred  of  tlic  friilli.  At  tliat  rate  our  purgatory 
will  not  be  long."  Father  de  Bengy  expressed 
himself  on  the  s:imc  subject:  ''God  likes  us  to 
offer  our  gifts  to  him  with  a  joyous  heart,  and  as 
there  is  no  gift  more  considerable  than  that  of  life, 
we  must  render  it  perfect  by  making  it  joyfully." 
Do  we  need  to  recall  Father  Olivaiut's  sentiments  ? 
Already  for  many  years  he  had  sighed  but  for  mar- 
tyrdom. One  day,  hearing  a  sermon  on  the  Japa- 
nese martyrs,  he  was  seized  with  unutterable  trans- 
ports. It  seemed  to  him  that  his  breast  oj^encd 
and  that  streams  of  blood  flowed  from  it.  Think- 
ing then  that  perhaps  he  would  be  a  martyr,  he 
could  no  longer  contain  his  joy.  Wo  have  heard 
Father  Clerc:  "  I  have  earnestly  begged  our  Lord 
to  call  me  to  a  more  excellent  testimony  of  his 
name.  ...  It  seems  to  mo  that  I  can  do  all 
things  in  Him  who  strengtheneth  me,  and  who 
will  accompany  me  even  to  death.  Does  he  ask 
mv  death  ?  What  I  know  is  that  if  he  does  not  ask 
it  I  shall  have  a  regret  which  only  submission  to 
his  will  can  soften." 
.  Now  we  are  not  astonished  when  an  ocular  wit- 
ness tells  us:  "I  saw  all  your  fathers  and  I  heard 
tliem  talk  ;  they  were  calm  and  smiling  in  the 
evening  of  their  life  as  though  it  was  the  dawn 
of  a  beautiful  day.  Father  de  Bengy  had  lost 
nothing  of  his  cang-froid  and  gayety  ;  Father  Cau- 


484 


Alexis  Clerc. 


bcrfc  of  liis  pleasant  and  modest  rccollec.ion  ;  Fa- 
ther Clerc  of  his  generous  cheerfulness  ;  Father 
Ducoudray  of  his  simple  and  dignified  manliness  ; 
Father  Olivaint  of  his  quick  energy  and  his  radiant 
peace." 

But  we  remember  the  DiviiVG  Gu??c  they  had  re- 
ceived, and  who  was  invisible  in  their  midst.  Each 
one  of  them  bore  him  upon  his  heart.  That  was 
the  secret  of  their  invincible  strength  and  their  un- 
alterable serenity. 

It  is  known  that  they  did  not  keep  the  heavenly 
gift  for  themselves  alone.  Those  days  were  to  all 
the  hostages  an  admirable  preparation  for  death ; 
the  priests  confessed  one  another  and  heard  the 
confessions  of  the  laymen  ;  laymen  and  priests,  ex- 
pectinj^  to  die  from  one  moment  to  the  next,  held 
themselves  in  readiness  to  appear  before  God  and 
to  make  the  sacrifice  of  their  lives  generously. 

There  was  among  all  the  rest  one  soul  which  in- 
finite mercy  confided  more  particularly  to  the  zeal 
and  charity  of  Father  Clerc — the  soul  of  President 
Bonjoan,  his  next-cell  neighbor.  ]5y  very  good 
right  the  president  did  not  pass  for  a  friend  of  the 
Jesuits,  and  his  ultra-parliamentary  gallicanism  had 
made  some  noise  in  the  discussions  of  the  Senate. 
But  gallicanism,  indeed  I  What  was  it  at  such  a 
moment  ?  Seen  near  to,  the  Jesuit  appeared  to 
him,  before  everything  else,  a  priest  carrying  par- 
don in  his  hands  and  having  the  power  to  pro- 
nounce in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  the  words  of 
eternal  life.  At  bottom  those  t^vo  souls  were  coii- 
stitutcd  to  understand  one  another,  for  they  both 


1 


Prison fr  and  Victim  for  Love  of  Jesus.     485 

possessed  in  ihe  highest  degree  the  religion  of 
duty,  aiid  would  admit  of  no  compromise  in  mat- 
ters of  honor.  If  Father  Clerc  indignantly  re- 
jected the  idea  of  an  excliange  of  prisoners  between 
Paris  and  Versailles,  of  which  his  friends  wished 
to  assure  him  the  benefit,  the  president  also  had 
some  of  the  same  sort  of  magnanimous  delicacy, 
and  he  was  in  reality  a  victim  of  his  fidelity  to 
what  he  regarded  as  one  of  the  duties  of  liis  charge. 
Absent  from  Paris  when  the  Commune  seized  the 
city  without  striking  a  blow,  the  courageous  mag- 
istrate immediately  returned  to  his  post  without 
much  hope  of  serving  the  cause  of  order,  and 
knowing  perfectly  well  to  what  he  exposed  him- 
self.* Arrested  as  early  as  the  21st  of  March  while 
leaving  his  court-room,  he  had  spent  two  whole 
months  at  Mazas,  and,  notwithstanding  his  ad- 
vanced age  (sixty-seven  years),  he  bore  the  rigors  of 
the  prison  discipline  without  showing  any  signs  of 
weakness.  There  was  question  at  one  time  of  re- 
leasing him  on  parole,  which  would  have  enabled 
him  to  go  to  Xormandy  for  a  visit  of  a  few  hours 
to  Madame  Bonjean.  The  only  fear  then  of  him- 
self and  Madame  Bonjean  was  lest  it  might  hap- 
pen to  him  to  involuntarily  break  the  parole  given, 
and  the  noble  woman  wrote :  "  I  pharc  to  such  a 
degree  your  apprehension  lest:  some  accident  inde- 
pendent of  your  will  should  oblige  you  to  some  in- 


*  M.  Devienne,  first  president  of  the  Court  of  Appeal,  beinf^ 
absent  and  sick.  M.  Boaiean,  the  senior  of  the  presidents  of  the 
chamber,  became  in  reality  the  head  of  that  important  body 
and  the  first  representative  of  the  entire  judiciary  of  Paris. 


486 


Alexis  CI  ere. 


1 


Toluntary  infraction  of  your  promise  given,  that  I 
hardly  dare  wish  you  to  run  such  a  terrible  risiv. 
But  how  few  people  understand  the  nobility  of 
such  a  scruple  !  " 

As  one  virtue  never  exists  alone,  tlie  president 
forgave  his  enemies  with  all  his  heart,  and  during 
the  first  days  of  his  captivity  he  signed  a  writing 
wherein  we  read  :  "  Do  not  seek  to  discover  the 
names  of  those  who  detain  me  here  contrary  to  all 
justice  and  all  reason  ;  and  especially  never  try 
to  draw  upon  them  any  direct  or  indirect  ven- 
geance." 

Finally,  we  will  quote  this  advice,  which  he  ad- 
dressed to  his  children  four  days  before  his  death  : 
"  Let  not  the  persecution  I  suffer,  and  the  bloody 
death  which  from  one  moment  to  another  may 
terminate  my  laborious  life,  be  to  you  a  cause  of 
discouragement.  Do  not  say :  *  Of  what  advan- 
tage to  our  father  was  that  long  fidelity  to  all  his 
duties  ?  Why  did  he  not  do  like  so  many  others 
who,  less  austere,  less  rigid,  understood  how  to 
shield  themselves  from  danger  and  are  now  enjoy- 
ing a  happy  old  age  ?'  Oh  !  no,  do  not  say  thus, 
and  give  no  heed  to  those  who  address  such  lan- 
guage to  you  ;  for  my  part,  I  who  have  never 
deceived  any  one,  I  who  still  less  would  deceive  my 
children  at  this  solemn  moment,  1  declare  to  you 
that,  miserable  as  may  be  the  end  which  seems 
destined  for  me,  I  would  at  no  price  have  acted 
otherwise  than  I  have,  and  this  is  because  the 
chief  good,  my  dear  children,  is  peace  of  con- 
science ;   and  because  that  inestimable  good  can 


\'^  t- 


Prisoner  and  Victim  for  Love  of  j^isns.     4S7 

exist  only  for  him  who  is  able  to  say  :  I  have  done 
my  duty.'* 

He  did  it  to  the  end,  not  only  as  an  upright 
magistrate  and  a  good  citizen,  but  also  as  a  Chris- 
tian faithful  to  his  baptismal  engagements.  So 
much  nobility  of  character  could  not  but  inspire 
Father  Clerc  with  a  lively  sympathy,  and  nodonbL 
he  knew  how  to  make  himself  understood  by  the 
president  when  he  had  to  treat  with  him  of  tlic 
greatest  and  most  sacred  of  all  duties.  Their  con- 
versations, commenced  at  the  common  window, 
were  prolonged  during  the  time  of  promenade,  and 
the  other  prisoners  respected  an  intimacy  the  na- 
ture of  which  they  easily  enough  conjectured.  Be- 
sides, M.  Bonjeau  practised  no  concealment,  and 
we  refer  to  his  own  testimony  for  our  information. 
During  the  recreation  of  the  day  (May  23),  which 
was  usually  taken  in  the  6rst  roaJ,  the  archbishop, 
fatigued  by  long  walking,  as  there  was  no  place  to 
sit,  Icaucd  against  the  baluster  of  the  little  stair- 
case leading  to  the  corridor  of  the  first  story.  One 
of  his  vicars  general  and  M.  Bon  jean  approached 
him;  the  latter,  M.  Bonjeun,  looked  radiant.  "Eh 
bien  !  monseioneur,"  he  said  to  the  prelate,  **  who 
would  ever  have  thought  that  I,  the  gallican, 
would,  be  converted  by  a  Jesint  ?"  * 

Father  Clcrc  had  just  made  his  last  conquest, 
had  just  harvested  the  last  joy  of  his  sacerdoal  zeal. 

The  sun  of  the  24th  of  May  rose  in  splendor  over 
the  citv,  which  all  night  long  ha,d  been  illuminated 


The  Ads,"  p.  170. 


488 


Ali'xis  Clerc. 


by  the  fl:imc3  of  groat  conflagrations.  Paris  wr.s 
burning  .  .  .  ;  its  palaces  and  monuments,  satu- 
rated with  petroleum  by  the  hands  of  the  insur- 
gents, taught  us  what  civilization  without  God  ia 
callable  of.  In  proportion  as  the  regular  army 
gained  ground,  as  the  iron  circle  was  narrowed 
around  the  Commune  at  bay,  the  struggle,  growing 
bloodier  and  more  violent,  was  concentrated  in  the 
arrondisscmen !s  near  L  i  Roquette.  Two  steps  from 
the  prison,  on  the  heights  of  POsre  Lachaise,  batteries 
of  heavy  artillery  thundered  and  vomited  inces- 
sraitly  over  all  the  districts  of  that  section  a  rain 
of  iron  and  fire.  Father  Clerc  must  have  remem- 
bered his  own  words  :  The  hour  of  tlieir  most  evil 
counsels  ivill  he  ilud  of  their  greatest  reverses.  From 
the  earliest  dawn  of  that  day,  lamentable  for  our 
unfortunate  country,  but  so  glorious  to  him,  he 
prepared  himself  for  the  combat.  Did  he  not  pos- 
sess in  his  prison  Ilim  who  is  the  Strength  of  mar- 
tyrs? He  fed  himself  with  his  sacred  flesh,  and, 
doubtless  careful  to  husband  the  treasure  of  the 
sacred  species,  he  was  able  not  only  to  prolong  his 
thanksgiving,  but  to  continue  his  adoration  the 
whole  day. 

That  sumo  mornin?T  Father  Olivaint  carried  the 
Blessed  Eucharist  to  the  Archbishop  of  Paris,  and 
the  cuie  of  the  Madeleine  received  it  from  the  hand 
of  Father  de  Bengy.  The  young  ecclesiastic,  who 
had  Father Ducoudray  for  his  neighbor,  and  who  sur- 
"vivedhim,  knew  positively  that  he  also  bore  upon  his 
breast  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  and  communicated 
himself  in  his  cell._  The  two  customary  recreations 


; 


Prisoner  and  Victim  for  Love  of  Jesus,     489 


took  place  just  as  the  day  before  ;  they  were  grave 
witiiout  the  least  cloiii)t,  but  tlie  heart  still  found 
cause  to  dilate  while  breathing  in  that  reunion  of 
brothers  the  aroma  of  charity.  M.  Amodru  and 
M.  Lamazou,  of  the  clcrpy  of  Paris,  have  described 
tiio  generous  and  indulgent  sentiments  which  ani- 
mated the  archbishop  and  the  euro  cf  the  Made- 
leine, who  as  yet  did  riot  anticipate  so  tragic  an 
issue,  incapable  as  they  were  of  believing  in  so 
much  hatred.  No  word  has  come  to  us  gathered 
in  that  last  hour  from  the  lips  of  Father  Clcrc  ; 
we  only  know  that  his  frequent  i^tc-iX  ictcs  with 
President  Bon  jean  were  noticed,  as  well  as  the  truly 
filial  respect  he  showed  the  archbishop  on  every 
occasion.  Uenceforth  his  history  blends  with  that 
of  the  five  hostages  who  suffered  death  with  him, 
and  it  is  for  the  author  of  the  "  Acts  "  to  relate  to 
us  how  that  day  was  finished  by  tiie  bloody  immo- 
lation wherein  our  generous  combatant  so  joyfully 
gained  the  palm  of  martyrdom  : 

**The  Commune,  intrenched  then  in  the  may- 
oralty of  the  eleventh  arrondissement,  had  no  more 
strength  but  for  crime;  alas  !  it  still  had  too  much 
for  that.  It  orders  as  urgent  the  execution  in  a 
body  of  all  the  hostages  of  La  Roquet  to.  At  six 
o^clock  in  the  evening  over  sixty  prisoners  are  to  be 
shot  by  way  of  reprisal.  The  keeper  of  the  prison 
finds  means  to  start  difficulties  regarding  the  mat- 
ter rather  than  the  form  of  this  extreme  measure 
of  desperate  men  who  have  nothing  more  to  lose. 
They  parley,  and,  after  some  going  and  coming  be- 
tween La  Roquetto  and  the  mayoralty  of  the  elev- 


490 


Alexis  Clerc. 


en  til  arrondisscmcnt,  the  Commune  consents  only  to 
decimate  the  sixty  on  tlie  express  condition  of  itself 
selectini>'  its  viclims  of  profcrcnco.  At  all  hazards 
it  will  have  priests— thoso  men  who  have  been  a 
luiisanco  in  the  worUl  for  eighteen  hundred  years; 
and^  through  a  singular  association,  the  name  of 
President  Bonjoan  is  l.kewise  on  the  list.  Nearly 
two  hours  are  spent  in  these  dread  negotiations. 

*'  Ik  was  tlien  about  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening. 
A'.!  the  prisoners  were  in  their  cells  and  the  only 
conversations  were  with  Heaven.  Suddenly  a  con- 
fused noise  is  heard  in  tho  distance,  growing 
move  and  more  distinct ;  voices  of  men  and  boys, 
outcries,  and  laughter  still  more  ferocious,  mingle 
wiili  the  din  of  arms.  Ik  was  the  approach  of  tlio 
doers  of  great  deeds  :  for  six  victims  not  less  than 
fifty  executioner?,  Avengers  of  the  Republic  and 
Garibaldians,  soldiers  of  all  arms  and  National 
Guards  of  all  costumes,  and  tliose  terrible  bovs 
known  as  the  gamins  of  Paris.  At  thtir  head 
marched  a  blond  man  with  a  moustache  like  a 
brush.  *  Citizens,*  he  said,  addressing  his  band, 
'you  know  how  many  of  us  are  missing — six. 
Shoot  six  of  them  !'  The  detachment  penetrates 
that  corridor  of  the  first  story,,  fourth  division, 
where  our  dear  captives  are,  passes  along  its  whole 
length,  and  ranges  itself  at  the  opposite  extremity 
at  the  head  of  the  little  winding  staircase  which 
leads  to  the  inner  road  ;  on  the  passage  each  pris- 
oner had  in  advance  received  through  his  open 
grating  an  iirsult  and  a  sentence  of  death. 

"Then  a  personage  performing  the  part  of  her- 


Prisoner  and  Victim  for  Loi'C  of  jfcsus,     491 

iild  ill  II  loud  voice  summons  tlic  prisoners  to  hold 
themselves  ready  iind  to  each  respond  as  \\\i  nanio 
is  culled.  Tills  said,  the  fatal  H^'.  in  his  hand,  ho 
immediately  «innouncc3  with  the  same  qualifying 
title  for  all,  and  following  the  numerical  order  of 
the  cells,  the  names  of  the  tix  condemned  by  the 
Commune.  Accordingly  as  his  name  is  pronounced 
a  door  opens  and  a,  victim  gives  himstif  up.  ^I. 
Bonjean,  M.  Degucrry,  ^l.  Cicrc,  M.  Ducoudniy, 
M.  Allard,  and  M.  Dai  boy  are  successively  called. 

*' The  Abbe  Gard,  the  ordinary  witness  of  Fa- 
ther Ducoudray  in  his  cell,  here  adds  a  detail  I 
am  anxious  to  preserve :  'I  was  in  bed  "Wednes- 
day evening  when  they  came  to  make  tlie  call. 
AVhen  Faihcr  Ducoudray  was  named  he  must  have 
been  at  prayer  and  did  not  hear;  he  remained  quiet 
for  at  least  half  a  minute,  and  I  had  to  warn  him. 
Then  I  heard  him  throw  himself  upon  his  knees, 
and  doubtless  he  consumed  the  sacred  species  he 
still  bore  upon  his  liearf.  1  askeel  him  to  leave 
mo  a  particle,  but  he  replied:  ^'Ko,  no,"  whence 
I  understood  that  all  was  consumed.' 

**  Now  all  the  summoned  are  present.  The 
archbiiliop  anel  his  companions,  preceded  and  fol- 
lowed by  the  frightful  escort,  pass  and  descend 
one  by  one  the  narrow  and  dark  staircase,  and  at 
the  foot  find  themselves  in  that  same  road  wher^ 
but  just  now  they  were  ttdving  their  recreation. 

"Behold  them,  then,  finally  at  the  mercy  of 
savage  impiety  and  a  more  than  brutal  insolence. 
One  of  the  officers  of  that  ignoble  baud  even  had 
to  interfere,  and,  compassionate  after  his  fashion, 


I,    #- 


492 


Alexis  CI  ere. 


*  Comrades/ ho  cried,  '  wc  liavc  sometliinj?  better 
to  do  than  to  abuse  them  ;  wo  liave  to  shoot  them. 
This  is  the  order  of  tlic  Cominnne.' 

"  So  great  was  the  irregularity  and  confusion  of 
those  days  that  the  place  of  execution  l;ad  not  even 
been  fixed.     Any  place  v/as  good  enough  for  shed- 
ding blood.    Therefore  they  were  on  the  point  of 
doing  their  work  there  in  that  very  jdac?.     But  it 
was  suggested   that  it  was  very  near  the  prison, 
under  the  windov/s  even  of   the  prisoners  ;  there 
would  be   too   many  witnesses  of  the    crime.     It 
w^is    true;    from  all  those  windows,   on    all    the 
stories,  the  eye  looks  into  tlie  first  road,  and  the 
prisoners  left  in  their  cells  would  from  above  assist 
at  that  death  scene,  would  hear  all,  see  all.     It  was 
decided,  to  pass  into  the  second  road,  where  there 
would  bo  a  screen  of  two  high  walls.     They  start ; 
a  corporal  beads  the  procession  ;  behind  him  walk 
those  who  are  to  die,  grouped  thus  :   Monseigncnr 
the    Aiciibishop    of    Paris  gives   his  arm  to    ]\I. 
Bonjean  ;   Father  Ducoudray  and    Father   Clere 
accompany  and  support  on  each  side  the  venerable 
cure  of  the   Madeleine,  burdened   with   his  eighty 
years ;    and   last  comes   the  Abbe   Alhird ;    tiieii 
around  and  behind  the  armed  men  and  boys  in  a 
sort  of  crowd.     As  this  line  began  to  move  one 
of  the  prisoners  at  a  window  of  the   first  story 
shook  his  handkerchief  in  sign  of  farewell;  Father 
Ducoudray  turned  and  saluted  him  with  a  gesture. 
He  was  then  seen  to  open  his  cassock  and  lay  liis 
liand  upon  his  breast,  doubtless   to  indicate  that 
they  were  going  to  bo  shot. 


Prisoner  and  Vi^'tini  for  Love  of  Jesus.    493 

"  At  tlic  extremity  of  the  first  road  there  was  a 
necessary  halt;  Ihe  gate  leading  into  the  second 
had  to  be  forced.  From  (hat  point  the  victims 
disappeared,  and  the  only  witnesses  of  the  rest  of 
the  tragedy  were  those  who  will  not  come  forward 
to  testify  :  the  executioners  themselves.  All  that 
is  known  is  that  they  had  still  to  walk  the  whole 
length  of  thg  second  road,  in  a  contrary  direction 
to  their  course  on  the  first,  as  far  as  the  southeast 
angle.  It  is  also  related  that  the  generous  Father 
Alexis  Clerc,  who  had  so  earnestly  desired  to  ren- 
der to  the  name  of  Jesus  the  most  excellent  testi- 
mony, that  of  blood,  opened  his  cassock  and  pre- 
sented his  heart  to  welcome  death.  And,  finally, 
it  is  inferred  from  the  deep  marks  of  the  stray  balls 
that  the  victims  were  ranged  in  a  lino  at  the  foot 
of  the  high  outer  wall. 

"^Meanwhile,  what  anxious  expectation  in  the 
cells  of  the  prison  !  On  their  knees  the  inmates 
prayed,  listened,  scarcely  breathing.  They  heard. 
a  round  of  musketry,  then  some  detached  sliots, 
and  cries  of  *Vivc  la  Commune!^  It  was  over; 
there  were  no  longer  victims,  but  martyrs  ! 


"Towards  midnight  there  was  a  great  noise 
around  the  prisoners.  Was  it  another  hostile  visi- 
tation ?  Soon  the  gratings  at  the  extremities  of 
tlie  corriflor  and  the  gates  of  all  the  avenues  were 
closed  with  a  crash,  and  these  words,  pronounced 
in  a  tono  of  authority,  were  distinguishable:  'II; 
they  come  back  I  forbid  their  admittance  ! '  It  was 
merely  a  putting  off  for  a  time. 


494 


Alexis  Clerc, 


iLai]|l 


"A  little  later  there  was  a  dull  rnmbling  along 
the  second  road  ;  they  were  removing  the  six  bleed- 
ing corpses.  The  bodies,  thrown  rather  than  laid 
in  a  small  hand-cart,  arrived  at  the  Cemetery  of 
Pore  Lachaise  about  three  o'clock  in  ^.lie  morning  ; 
and  there,  without  coffins,  without  any  ceremony, 
they  were  hurried  pell-mell  into  the  common  grave 
at  the  end  of  a  long  trench  opened  in  the  south- 
east corner  of  the  cemetery,  close  against  the  wall 
of  enclosure." 

AVhen  the  hideous  Commune  was  crushed  and 
our  troops  occupied  the  Cemetery  of  Pere  Lachaise, 
haste  was  made  to  find  the  bodies  of  the  victims  ; 
they  were  discovered  beneath  about  three  feet  of 
earth  soaked  by  +,he  recent  rains,  were  defiled  with 
bloody  mud  and  greatly  disfigurecJ,  but  still  i)er- 
fectly  recognizable.  After  they  all  were  placed  in 
cofiins,  the  cemete-ry  chapel  temporarily  received 
M.  Bon  jean  and  M.  Allard,  and  while  a  guard  of 
honor  accompanied  his  grace  the  archbishop  and 
M  Deguerry  as  far  as  the  archiepiscopal  palace. 
Fathers  Ducoudray  and  Clerc,  likewise  escorted  by 
soldiers,  were  borne  to  our  residence  in  the  Rue  de 
Sevres  and  deposited  in  the  church,  in  the  chapel 
dedicated  to  the  Japanese  Martyrs.  There  they 
were  soon  rejoined  by  Fathers  Olivaint,  Caubert, 
and  Dc  Bcngy,  massacred  on  Friday,  May  26,  toge- 
ther witli  forty  other  hostages — priests  and  soldiers 
— in  the  court  of  the  Cite  Vinccnnes,  Rue  Ilaxo. 

I  will  not  describe  the  funeral,  celebrated  on 
Wednesday,  May  31,  amid  an  emotion  easy  to  be 
imagined ;    the    allocution  addressed  to   the   vast 


Prisoner  and  Victim  for  Love  of  Jesus.    495 


assembly  by  the  venerable  M.  Ilamon,  cure  of  St. 
Sulpice,  from  whose  trembling  lips  cscuped  the 
word  Martyrs ;  and,  finally,  the  eloquent  and 
touching  oration  pronounced  at  jho  Cemetery  of 
Mont  Parnasse  by  Count  Eugene  do  Germiny  in 
the  name  of  all  the  pujjils  of  Fathers  Oiivaint  and 
Ducoudray.  This  should  be  sought  in  the  "  Acts," 
if  the  reader  has  not  already  perused  them,  and  no 
line  of  it  should  be  passed  over. 

The  bodies  of  our  dear  victims  repose  to-day  in 
the  Chapel  of  the  ^Martyrs,  beneath  the  pavement 
of  the  sanctuary,  and  under  the  altar  steps,  a  sen- 
timent easy  of  explanation  having  been  unwilling 
to  permit  them  to  be  left  any  longer  in  our  ordi- 
nary place  of  sepulture  without  any  distinguishing 
mark.  Now,  at  least,  the  faithful  may  cover  their 
tombs  with  garlands  of  immortelles  and  fresh 
flowers,  to  say  nothing  of  our  own  advantage  in 
having  our  house  filled,  by  the  near  presence  of 
their  precious  remains,  with  the  svyeet  fragrance  of 
sacrifice. 

Five  broad  slabs  of  marble,  ornamented  with  in- 
scriptions in  the  style  of  the  Catacomb?,  indicate 
the  spot  occupied  by  each.  Upon  one  of  the  five, 
at  the  extreme  right  (Epistle  side),  we  read  : 


mo  lACaT  IN  PACE   p 

ALEXIV3  CLERC 

DOMO  PARISIIS 

PHESBYT211  SOCIETATIS  JESV 

NATVS  ANNOS  LI  MENSES  V  DIES  XIII 

LIBELS  PVSO  SANGVINE  FIDSM  SIGNAVIP 

IX  KAL.  IVN.  A.D.  MDJCCLXXI 


496 


Alexis  Cicrc, 


WhicI),  iianslated,  is  : 

HERE  RESTS  I^^  THE  PEACE  OP  CHRIST 

ALEXIS    CLERC, 

PARISIAN  BY  BIRTH, 

PRIEST  OF  THE  SOCIETY  OF  JESU3, 

AGED  LI.  YEARS  V.  MONTHS  XIIL  D^ YS. 

GLADLY  HE  SIGNED  THE  FAITH  WITH  HIS  BLOOD 

THE  24TII  OF  MAY,  OF  THE  YEAR  OF  OUR  LORD  MDOCCLXXT. 

Verily,  the  author  of  this  inscription  was  rightly 
inspired,  and  he  wonderfully  discerned  Father 
Clerc's  distinctive  characteristic*  Lihens,  gladly 
— it  is,  indeed,  a  word  well  chosen  !  See  you  not 
our  generous  martyr  en  his  way  to  death,  opening 
his  Ycstmenfc  to  welcome  the  balls  to  his  heart,  and 
overjoyed  to  render  to  Jesus  Christ,  as  he  had  so 
earnestly  desired,  the  most  excellent  testimony  ? 

His  beautiful  death  has  been  described  ero  this, 
and  has  excited  universal  admiration  ;  henceforth, 
thank  God  !  it  will  be  known  that  it  was  Ihe  crown 
of  a  life  not  less  beautiful^  a  life  hidden  in  God 
with  Jesus  Christ.  Did  not  one  of  his  friends  pre- 
dict :  "  Clerc  will  die  a  magnificent  death  "  ?  All 
those  who  observed  him  a  little  closely  might  have 
suspected  something  of  the  inner  realities  of  his 
life  ;  but  none  had  that  intimate  acquaintance 
with  him  which  we  have  acquired  in  following  him 
step  by  step  for  a  period  of  about  thirty  years. 
Froai  the  time  of  his  conversion  to  a  sincere  Ca- 
tholic life  he  walktd  ever  by  the  straightcst  path, 
and  the  obstacles  he  surmounted  were  not  small. 


*  The  flvo  inscriptions  are  the  work  of  Father  Victor  de 
Bucl<,  ih3  eminent  Bolliudisr. 


Prisoner  and  Victim  for  Love  of  Jesus.     497 


BLOOD 
IDCCCLXXI. 

vasriglitly 
ed   Fiitlicr 
ens,  gladly 
je  you  not 
1),  opening 
;  heart,  and 
he  had  so 
stimony  ? 
fd  ere  ibis, 
henceforth, 
the  crown 
en  in  God 
friends  pre- 

lath"?  All 
might  have 
Jitics  of  his 
Icquaintancc 
bowing  him 

,hirty  years. 

sincere  Ca- 
htcst  path, 

\q  not  smaU. 

Ither  Victor  de 


What  a  victory  was  that  of  his  vocation  I  Opposed 
to  the  utmost  by  his  own  father,  he  sustained  the 
lude  assault  without  show  or  noise,  hut  with  what 
generosity  and  perseverance  !  We  liave  torn  aside 
the  veil  of  his  religious  life:  we  see  perpetual  sacri- 
fice. Everywhere  wo  are  conscious  <  f  the  man  of 
a  great  heart  and  a  great  faith  who  goes  boldly 
ahead  with  all  sails  set.  Whither  will  he  not 
go  when  it  is  the  Holy  Spirit  that  fills  the  canvas  ? 

I  seem  to  hear  issuing  from  his  tomb  these  worJs 
by  which  ho  exhorts  iis  in  onr  turn  to  fight  the 
good  fight:  May  Godfjive  you  all  a  heart  to  tvor- 
sJiip  him,  and  to  do  his  will  2L'ith  a  great  heart  and 
a  willing  mind  (2  Machab.  i.  3). 

You,  young  men,  whom  he  so  tenderly  loved  in 
our  Lord,  you  will  sometimes  meditate  on  the 
counsels  he  gave  those  of  your  age  and  on  the  ex- 
ample he  left  to  us  all.  Young,  he  struck  on  the 
rock  of  the  passions,  and  h-'s  wanderings  were  i)ro- 
bably  greater  than  yours.  But  a  superabundant 
expiation  made  a  new  man  of  him,  and  you  hav3 
seen  with  what  holy  ardor  he  was  devoured.  What- 
ever may  have  been  the  first  steps  of  your  life,  tiiere 
is  still  time  for  you  to  make  a  noble  use  of  your 
strength  ;  nothing  is  lost  with  God's  help  ;  and — I 
say  it  to  others  besides  you — the  laborers  of  the 
eleventh  hour  may  receive  the  wages  of  the  whole 
day,  provided  they  redeem  by  their  diligence  the 
time  they  have  foolishly  squandered. 

Our  narration  is  ended  ;  still,  we  have  yet  to  add 
a  word  which  finds  its  place  naturally  here  and 
which  the  reader  doubtlesj  expects. 


498 


Alexis  Clerc, 


\ 


WesaiJ  jusfc  now  that  public  piety  instinctively 
felt  that  those  remains  deposited  in  the  Chapel  of 
the  Martyrs  were  themselves  relics  of  niartyrt\ 
And  ever  since  a  spontaneous  impulse  has  brought 
the  faithful  to  that  sanctuary  of  benediction.  It  is 
not  as  yet  the  exterior  worship  the  Church  forbids 
until  she  has  authorized  it,  but  it  is  interior  and 
private  veneration,  the  prayer  of  the  heart  which 
does  not  even  always  ascend  to  the  lips;  and  it 
seems  as  though  Heaven  justifies  such  confidence 
by  extraordinary,  we  may  say  miraculous,  graces. 

Not  fur  from  the  chapel  a  hall  open  to  the  pious 
visitor  offers  to  his  regard  the  furniture  of  the  five 
cells  ccoupicd  by  the  hostages  at  Mazus;  the  bed, 
the  table,  the  chair,  nothing  is  wanting  ;  there  are 
also  added  certain  articles  of  private  use  of  cacii  of 
tliem,  such  as  the  half-burned  breviary  of  Father 
Olivaint  and  liis  instruments  of  penance.  On  a 
table  apart  may  be  seen  some  marble  tablets,  the 
inscriptions  on  which  bear  witness  to  the  petitions 
addressed  to  the  victims  of  La  Roquette  and  the 
Rue  Ilaxo,  and  the  favors  obtained. 

Besides  these,  there  is  in  the  last  edition  of  the 
*'  Acts,"  by  the  Rev.  Father  de  Ponlevoy,  a  very 
full  account  of  several  cures  which  must  bo  attri- 
buted to  their  intercession,  since  science  is  power- 
less to  explain  them.  Five  of  the  most  remarkable 
of  these  facts  have  been  submitted  to  the  regular 
canonical  process  before  a  commission  appointed 
by  the  ordinary.  The  competent  authority  has 
been  appealed  to,  and  its  deciiion  is  confidently 


Prisoner  and  Victim  for  Love  of  fesus.     499 

awaited.  To  Rome  alone  it  belongs  to  pronouuco 
in  the  cause  of  the  servants  of  God. 

But  without  "judging  anything  in  advance,  may 
we  not  already  indulge  the  hope  that  a  day  will 
come  when  ihe  Church  will  place  upon  her  altars, 
with  his  four  companions,  Alexis  Clcrc,  sailor,  Je- 
suit, and  hostage  of  the  Commune,  put  to  death  in 
hatred  of  the  faith  ? 

Then  the  glory  of  his  sanctity  will  be  reflected 
upon  Catholic  schools  and  upon  tiie  French  navy. 
The  navy  which  gave  this  valiant  soldier  to  the 
Society  of  Jesus  and  to  the  Church,  may  with  good 
riijht  honor  hi  in  as  one  of  her  most  attractive  mo- 
dels  and  of  her  most  beloved  projectors. 


THK  KXI). 


in 


APPEKDIX, 


FATHER    CLERC  S    ACT   OF    COXSECRATIOX    TO    THE 
SACRED  HEART  OF  JESUS. 


COXSECRATIO 

Sacratissimo  Cordi  D.  N.  J.  C. 

DoMETE  Jesu  Christi,  qui 
dixisti :  "Discite  a  me  quia 
mitis  sura  et  humilis  corde," 
ut  cor  incum  secundum  Cor 
tuum  facere  digneris ;  ego 
Alexius  Clerc,  omnimodo  in- 
diguissimus,  me  totum  om- 
niaque  me:i  ad  Sacratissi- 
muDi  et  amabile  nimis  Cor 
tuum  devoveo,  et  consacro. 


A  tua  erjjo  immensa  boni- 


CONSECRATIOX 

To  the  Most  Sacred  Heart  of 
0.  L.  J.  C. 

Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who 
hast  said:  "Learn  of  me, 
because  I  am  meek  and  hum- 
ble of  hearf,"  in  order  that 
thou  mayest  be  pleased  to 
make  my  heart  like  unto  thy 
Heart,  1,  Alexis  Clerc,  in 
every  way  most  unworthy, 
do  devote  and  consecrate 
myself  and  all  that  is  mine 
to  thy  most  holy  and  more 
than  lovable  Heart. 

Therefore   I   humbly  be- 


tate  et  dementia,  per  Sane-    seech  thy  infinite  goodness 
tissimae    Cor  Immaculatum    and  mercy,  by  the  Immacu- 


Virginis  Marise  peto  suppli- 
citer.  ut  hoc  holocaustum  in 
odorem  suavitatls  admittas, 
et  ut  largitus  es  ad  hoc  desi- 
derandum  et  offerendum,  sic 


late  Heart  of  the  Most 
Blessed  Virgin  Mary,  that 
thou  wilt  vouchsafe  to  admit 
this  holocaust  in  an  odor  cf 
sweetness,   and  what    thou 


etiam  ad  explendum  per  ip-    hast  given  me  the  grace  to 
Eum  Cor  tuum,  et  cum  ipso    desire  and  offer,  so  also,  by 

501 


1 


502 


187  i?' 


Appendix. 


ct  in  ipso  graliara  uberem 
largiaris.    Amen. 


the  merits  of  thy  divine 
Heart  itself,  with  it  and  in 
it,  thou  wilt  bestow  on  me 
a  plentiful  grace  to  fulfil 
Amen. 


Rev.  Fr.  Dorr,  the  Instructor  of  the  Third  Year,has  heard 
and  approved  my  resolution,  and  I  have  pronounced  this 
Act  of  Consecration  in  his  hands,  November  25,  1869  ;  for 
which  I  rejoice  in  the  Lord,  giving  thanks  a  thousand  times 
to  the  goodness  of  God  and  to  the  tenderness  of  the  Sacred 
Heart  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 


Note. — The  jnilitary  chaplains  and  other  priests  who 
passed  all  their  time  in  the  ambulances  during  the  siege  or 
Paris,  allowed  their  beards  to  grow.  The  portrait  of  Father 
Clerc  placed  at  the  beginning  of  this  translation  is  a  good 
likeness,  and  represents  him  precisely  as  he  appeared  in  the 
ambulance  of  Vaugirard  during  the  terrible  winter  of 
1870-71. 


f  thy  divine 
with  it  and  in 
bestow  on  me 
jrace  to  fulfil 

Ycar,ha9  heard 
renounced  this 
!r  25,  1869  ;  for 
thousand  times 
iS  of  the  Sacred 


ler  priests  who 
ing  the  siege  or 
jrtrait  of  Father 
alion  is  a  good 
appeared  in  the 
rible  -winter  of 


